Even though we haven't had snow this year, winter sure seems to be lasting a long time.  If you're like me and made a pledge to become more fit in 2012, here are a few simple and free exercise resources that just might rekindle your motivation and reduce the winter blahs!

Bodyweight Exercises:

Bodyweight exercises are simple strength training exercises that don't require weights-- your own weight serves as all of the resistance that you need.  Push ups, pullups, and sit ups some of the most common bodyweight exercises.

One of my favorite bodyweight resources is located at http://www.simplefit.org.  It provides users with quick, straightforward, and effective workouts designed to help build muscle and strength.  The best part is, you can do it from home with just a few simple pieces of equipment! 

The Minuteman Network also owns multiple copies of Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises, which is another great resource that will provide you with great strength-building exercises that involve little, if any, gym equipment.  

Kettlebells:

If you're looking for an intense strength workout that doesn't require a trip to the gym, look no further than the kettlebell!  It's an iron weight that looks like a bell (shocking, I know!).  Kettlebell exercises combine cardio, strength, and flexibility. 

And in amazing news, the Minuteman Library Network carries several useful books that focus on the kettlebell, including Enter the Kettlebell! Strength Secret of the Soviet Supermen, by Pavel; Complete Guide to Kettlebell Training, by Allan Collins; and Kettlebells for Dummies, by Sara Lurie. 
 
Interval Workouts:

A great way to burn calories is through interval training.  Interval training mixes bursts of high-intensity work with periods of low-intensity work. The high-intensity bursts are typically at or close to maximum effort, while the recovery periods are either involve complete rest or lower-intensity activity.  Interval training can be used in any kind of cardio workout, like cycling, running, or even rowing.  One of the most popular interval training programs is P90X, which is a collection of intense workouts put your body in a state of muscle confusion.  The Minuteman Library Network owns multiple copies of the 13-DVD program, if you would like to give it a try!  The library also owns a copy of Bring It!, a companion exercise book by P90X creator Tony Horton.

Run Run Run:

Even though it's chilly out, running is one of the most energizing activities that you can do in the wintertime!  And if you're tired of running the same old routes around your neighborhood, you can check out Mark Lowenstein's Great Runs in Boston and Great Runs in Boston Burbs.  Both of these books can be found at the library, and they are full of interesting and scenic run possibilities!  Winter is also a great time to start training for spring races, many of which you can find and sign up for on http://www.active.com/. 
 
No matter what kind exercises interest you, the library has a host of excellent resources that you can use to achieve your fitness goals.  Good luck-- and have fun!  And remember, spring is just around the corner!

What do you need to use the self check out?

- library card

What can you check out?

-*any books, videos, magazines etc that do not have to be unlocked.

From the self check out you can:

-view your account

-renew items

-check due dates

- pay fines with a credit card 

Basic instructions:   

-   scan your library card
-   scan the library barcodes from the top left front of item or inside the front cover
-   Press finish on the touch screen and the receipt printer will print out your due dates.    

* If you have  DVDs, CDs, CDROMs, and Art Prints or you have a reserve to pick up, please go to the Circulation desk for assistance.

Books
Irish chain by Earlene Fowler
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1530308

Death by chocolate: a Savannah Reid Mystery by G.A. McKevett.
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2139756

Proof by Dick Francis
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1147976

A grave denied by Dana Stabenow
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2166601

The amber room by Steve Berry
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2159913

Chesapeake blue by Nora Roberts
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2097940

Dangerous to know by Barbara Taylor Bradford
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1530134

DVDs
Air Force One
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1911918

Yoga for scoliosis
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2351850

King corn
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2581249

Zoo TV live from Sydney by U2
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2470307

Beats, rhymes & life the travels of a Tribe Called Quest
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2940574

CDs
Blue gardenia by Etta James
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2071682

The best of the song books by Ella Fitzgerald
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1499374

Dark side of the moon by Pink Floyd
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1878166

Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1580523

Talento de barrio by Daddy Yankee
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2612056

He set the standards for behavior, integrity and patriotism of the best kind, not the flag-waving kind, but true love of country. All of our - all of our best presidents, without exception, have had a sense of history and I don't think that's coincidental. And one of the things that a sense of history gives to a person, is not just an appreciation, an understanding of what happened before we came along, but the realization that we, too, are a part of history and we, too, are going to be judged by history.

Biographies:

John Adams

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1999566

Truman

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1023934

Mornings on Horseback (Theodore Roosevelt)

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1255599

Other Biographies of Note:

Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream by Doris Kearns Goodwin

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1704059

Eleanor and Franklin by Joseph Lash

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2017708

Abraham Lincoln: the war years by Carl Sandburg

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1648283

With Malice Toward None (Lincoln) by Stephen B. Oates

http://http://library.minlib.net/record=b12822111

His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2245286

Founding Father by Richard Brookhiser

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1562107

Calvin Coolidge by Robert Sobel

http://library.minlib.net/record=b1834600

The Age of Reagan by Steven Hayward

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2555328

Andrew Jackson by H.W. Brand

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2331744

Washington : a life and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2774996

http://library.minlib.net/record=b2315951

Click on the links to the catalog where you can reserve titles, get reviews, reader ratings and read-a-likes!

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Jason Bourne series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1241549

Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
Mitch Rapp series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1880576

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva.
Gabriel Allon series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b1962005

Rain Fall by Barry Eisler
John Rain series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2085333

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
Scot Harvath series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2052354

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2371801

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
John Wells series
http://library.minlib.net/record=b2386486

For ways to tackle the rest of the stuff in our lives, you might consult some of the books in the library including:

Books on:

 Storing stuff at home

Orgainzing your time

Don't forget the underrated checklist.  We have a book for that too: The Checklist Manifesto

Publishers Weekly Review:

That humblest of quality-control devices, the checklist, is the key to taming a high-tech economy, argues this stimulating manifesto. Harvard Medical School prof and New Yorker scribe Gawande (Complications) notes that the high-pressure complexities of modern professional occupations overwhelm even their best-trained practitioners; he argues that a disciplined adherence to essential procedures-by ticking them off a list-can prevent potentially fatal mistakes and corner cutting. He examines checklists in aviation, construction, and investing, but focuses on medicine, where checklists mandating simple measures like hand washing have dramatically reduced hospital-caused infections and other complications. Gawande gets slightly intoxicated over checklists, celebrating their most banal manifestations as promethean breakthroughs ("First there was the recipe, the most basic checklist of all," he intones in a restaurant kitchen). He's at his best delivering his usual rich, insightful reportage on medical practice, where checklists have the subversive effect of puncturing the cult of physician infallibility and fostering communication and teamwork. (After writing a checklist for his specialty, surgery, he is chagrined when it catches his own disastrous lapses.) Gawande gives a vivid, punchy exposition of an intriguing idea: that by-the-book routine trumps individual prowess. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

 Blogs of Note:

Organized Home

The latest post looks at goal setting: Goalposts: What Football Players Know About Setting And Reaching Goal

Simple Mom

The latest post encourages us to simplify or wardrobe

Simply Stated  from Real Simple

 Featured blogs cover a swath of subjects including exercise and cooking.

Life Hacking:

Please revisit Sue's blog post on Life Hacking.

All of the librarians at Robbins and Fox have different ordering responsibilities.  Our annual budgeting is split among the buying areas.  Our librarians evaluate and select materials based upon patron requests, journal and newspaper reviews, and general awareness in various fields.  Once the materials are selected, they are ordered from the various vendors we use for different types of materials.

Magic happens at the vendor (e.g. orders are processed and shipped) and around 1pm daily we receive our UPS delivery of the day.  We verify that the contents are in good condition and that they match the listing on the packing slip.  The materials are then accounted for in our library system.  The invoices are then processed and paid through the town system.

In the next phase, we make sure that all of the library records are in place or create them to support the item records in the system.  Next, call numbers are assigned to materials, and then they are physically processed (labeled, repackaged, stamped, etc).  We check the processing of the materials because we want everything to be done correctly. Then item records are created in the library system.

When the items are ready, they move to their “home department”.  We bring carts to the Children’s Library and to the Circulation department.  We also put new items in the “Fox Box” to be driven down to the Fox Library.  When the new materials arrive in the departments, they fill holds or are shelved for everyone to see and enjoy.

New England Science Fiction Association's Boskone Convention is coming up in a couple of weeks. Even if you aren't a zealous fan (yet), sci-fi is a genre that attracts outstanding authors and artists.  NESFA is one of the oldest sci fi organizations in New England and their website is a treasure trove for someone wanting to explore.

NESFA Hugo recommended reading lists

According to the site,"It's neither definitive nor complete, but it contains the stories, novels and non-fiction works that a bunch of well-read fans feel may be worthy of a Hugo nomination".

Hugo Award Winners

Science fiction’s "most prestigious award".

Books

Baking books in Arlington

The library has many great titles and popular too.  Cookbooks are one of the highest circulating collections.

Recent baking books of note include:

Baking by James Peterson

2010 Won James Beard Foundation KitchenAid Book Awards.

Book List 
*Starred Review* A two-time James Beard award winner provides a viable candidate for his third award. Peterson, author of Cooking (2007) and Sauces (2008), long considered the chefs' go-to, now tackles all things baking with 300 recipes and 2,000 photographs. He admits that the art was not a first or natural love and, at the same time, he admires its precision and end results of a product that pleases. Yet not one page even hints at this attitude; instead, every page provides a gem: a tip for success, a non-fail recipe, or a series of sequential photographs highlighting the best how-to. Divided into five sections ( Cakes, Pies/Tarts, Cookies, Breads, and Custards/Mousses ), the book includes plenty of informed narrative (for instance, there are really only six types of basic cakes) and, in shaded areas, details with the right stuff to ensure sweet endings, such as the use of stabilized whipped cream versus regular, the best way to beat a quantity of whole eggs, and how to unseize a chocolate mixture. Blending the science of ingredient combinations and temperatures with the art of baking is truly his forte, from which anyone, novice or pro, can profitably benefit. Encore!--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2009 Booklist.

The fundamental techniques of classic pastry arts / The French Culinary Institute [with] Judith Choate

2010 Won IACP Crystal Whisk Awards.  

BakeWise : the hows and whys of successful baking with over 200 magnificent recipes by Shirley O. Corriher

2008 Won Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year. 

Publishers Weekly Review:
It's not surprising that James Beard Award-winner Corriher (CookWise) once worked as a chemist. Her no-nonsense approach to cakes, muffins, breads and cookies shows her deep knowledge and understanding that baking is, above all things, a science. This hefty collection of more than 200 recipes offers amateur and expert bakers alike clear, numbered steps and a plethora of information on ingredients, equipment and method. Invaluable troubleshooting sections solve pesky problems on everything from pale and crumbly cookies to fallen souffles. With a sense of expertise and ease, the author showcases recipes from the basic (cherry pie, fudgy brownies, baguettes) to the more specialized Bordeaux Macadamia Crust and Bourbon Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, focusing on the reasons for each step (e.g., "using shortening limits the cookie's spread"). Astute references to a variety of chefs, cookbook authors and restaurants add a knowing punch to this solid collection that's sure to please bakers of all skill levels. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Blogs

Fine Cooking Best of the Blogs

Fine Cooking staff scour the blog scene and post about noteworthy recipes and blogs

One blog not to miss is  http://www.davidlebovitz.com/.

David wrote the Great Book of Chocolate (need I say more) and Ready for dessert : my best recipes, is an award winning pastry chef and now living the foodie life in Paris.

Romantic Novels - some heavy weights:

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway

Possession - A.S. Byatt

Gone with the Wind - Mitchell

Top Rated "romantic" movies on IMDB.com

1.

Casablanca (1942)

2.

Rear Window (1954) 

3.

Forrest Gump (1994) 

4.

City Lights (1931) 

5.

North by Northwest (1959)

 
6.

Modern Times (1936) 

7.

Vertigo (1958) 

8. 8.5 Amélie (2001) 

9.

WALL·E (2008) 

10.

Life Is Beautiful (1997) 

11.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 

12.

The Artist (2011) 

13.

The Apartment (1960)

 
14.

Singin' in the Rain (1952) 

15.

The General (1926) 

16. 8.4 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) 

17.

Scenes from a Marriage (1973) 

18.

Rebecca (1940) 

19.

The Big Parade (1925) 

20.

It Happened One Night (1934)