The Blanco Library has received word that it is a recipient of a Picturing America Grant which brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide. Through this innovative program, students and citizens will gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art. The National Endowment for the Humanities, in cooperation with the American Library Association, will provide the Library with forty, laminated posters of our nation’s artistic heritage; our paintings, sculpture, architecture, fine arts and photography. The Library will gladly lend these posters to classrooms, homeschoolers and community organizations upon request.

Thanks to the hard work of The Friends of the Library, we have a continuous flow of new books. Watch for some exciting Friends events on the horizon!

Three ‘cozy” mysteries are reviewed below, but first-what is a “cozy” mystery? Most cozies take place in a small, picturesque town or village (often English) with characters that you could envision having as neighbors or friends (except the killer!). Cozies usually don’t involve a lot of gory details or explicit “adult situations” either. M.C. Beaton, Susan Wittig Albert, Rex Stout , Alexander McCall Smith and Donna Leon quickly come to mind. These are perfect for sitting by the fire on a cool, winter day or night. Try one.

THREE SILENT THINGS by Margaret Mayhew can be found in our New Arrivals. This is a village mystery with “ the colonel” who is living in the peaceful Dorset village of Frogs End and has been credited with solving an earlier murder. Now, the colonel finds yet another dead body; the once-famous actress Lois Delaney. The police have pronounced it a suicide but the colonel makes some inquiries and comes up with another theory.

THYME OF DEATH by Susan Wittig Albert. This is the first of a series featuring China Boyles, a former fast-track Houston attorney who escapes to Pecan Springs, Texas to establish an herb emporium (You’ll recognize Pecan Springs as a typical Hill Country town) Murder interrupts her simple, small town life and the victim is her good friend and a local protest organizer. This is only the beginning for this amateur investigator. Ms. Albert worked as Dean of Women at Southwest Texas University in San Marcos and knows the Hill Country intimately. The China Boyles books can be read out of sequence.

Another cozy read is THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY by Donna Leon, one of the best of the international crime writers. Her Commissario Guido Brunetti knows Venice, Italian life and good food. This book, like all her Brunetti novels, not only are thrillers but explanations of Italian language, food and cultural heritage. This novel occurs on the island of Murano which is known for its glassmaking. It has an ecological twist and detailed research on Venetian glassmaking. Mystery with an Italian flair!

Be sure to check out our website for programs and activities. See you at the Library.