Yes, indeed, it is spring here in the Upper Peninsula, and if you've a mind to read a book about birds and bird watching, we have a new one you'll find very entertaining. A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See it All by Luke Dempsey will entertain, inform and possibly get you hooked on bird watching. The author is a British transplant who works days as an editor in New York City. His other passion would seem to be photography and viewing as many birds as possible. This is his hilarious account of road trips with two companions equally obsessed with all things feathered. There is a beautiful photography section that will inspire you to dust off those binoculars and head to the woods to see what nature has in store for you.

In an effort to fit into your springtime attire, you may be revving up your exercise program. Check out Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko. This book helps you make your best food choice in any situation. It lists alphabetically a huge selection of restaurant chains and presents ordering choices, good versus poor. Each page has an entre photo and descriptive prose along with calorie and nutritional counts. This book proves not everything that sounds healthy is healthy. There are also sections on choices at the supermarket, what to serve for special occasions, what to drink, and research on which foods and beverages produce desired effects on the body.

Fish Without a Doubt: 250 Simple Seafood Recipes by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore is an absolutely lovely book. The cover photo alone is enticing. Included are instructions on preparing and cleaning fish and a helpful glossary of fish types available. If you've never cooked seafood, other than the frozen boxed variety, this will enable you to be more adventurous. Recipes include common ingredients like Bisquick, yet manage to turn the entres into exotic cuisine. Instructions seem easy to follow. Try catfish tacos, clam fritters or jerk tuna with mango sauce.

Prolific author Debbie Macomber, known for her light romantic novels, has produced a nonfiction selection, Knit Together, Discover God's Pattern for Your Life. Macomber shares about her early beginnings as an aspiring author and how God gave her the determination to keep trying to get published. She includes sections on seeking balance in home and work responsibilities and her thoughts on what we've each been created for. Extra bonuses in the book include a prayer shawl pattern and a reading group guide.

My final book choice for this week is titled Uncommon, Finding Your Path to Significance by Superbowl-winning coach Tony Dungy. His first book, Quiet Strength, rose to s Bestsellers list. The football coach's most recent effort proves that he has definite ability behind the typewriter as well as on the football field. Friendships, fatherhood, how to treat a woman, and eternal self-esteem are among the topics addressed. Also included is a lengthy Q & A section.

- Shelley Janofski

Circulation Department