I recently heard a news story so bizarre I could hardly believe it was true.  A series of crimes in France was linked to a suspect, but then the case took a very odd turn. Police discovered the man was living with his identical twin and because twin DNA is virtually identical, they were at a loss to figure out whodunit. Did one or both twins commit the crimes? If only one twin was the assaulter, did the other twin know?  Would scientists be able to find case-breaking minute differences in their DNA?  The story seemed more like a best-selling thriller than real life, adding to that well-known adage that truth really is stranger than fiction.

Add to this mix the odd case of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic athlete who shot and killed his supermodel girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.  At the same time, Pistorius’s brother Carl also was on trial for murder, this time in the form of vehicular homicide.  To top it all off, the lead investigator in Oscar’s case had to resign because he too was accused of attempted murder after firing into a taxi full of innocent passengers.  Like a well-written suspense with many twists and turns, I can hardly keep all these crimes straight.

Give it a few years, and I predict we’ll see a rash of books, movies and maybe even a few cheesy made-for-tv-movies about these cases.  But in the meantime, these larger-than-life crimes inspired me to wander the stacks in search of real life cases that could touch this level of outlandishness.  Turns out, there are many true accounts of cases so bizarre, you can hardly believe they are real:

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson – The riveting history of America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who took advantage of the 1893 Chicago World Fair to cover up his crimes.

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich – A charming and brilliant young scientist pulls off the audacious theft of a 600-pound safe of moon rocks from a high-tech government facility, all to impress his girlfriend.

The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perryman  – The true tale of scandal and sex-filled murder cases involving beautiful Jazz Age women. This story inspired the musical “Chicago.”

Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal – Hard-to-believe but real account of a master identify thief who posed as a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family for over a decade, married a wealthy woman, and then kidnapped and disappeared with his own daughter.

Midnight in Peking by Paul French – In 1937, a British schoolgirl’s dissected body is found propped against an old building in Beijing. The building is notorious for being haunted and though the murder becomes a media sensation, the crime is never solved and the public’s attention is quickly drawn away by invasion of Japanese forces.

Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet by John Douglas – Shocking account of a seemingly harmless family man who used the anonymity of the Internet to seduce and murder vulnerable women.

Provenance by Laney Salisbury – Fast-paced thriller of an elaborate, international con in which villains exploited high-profile art institutions into legitimizing hundreds of forged artworks, many of which still hang in museums today.

The Bobbed Haired Bandit: A True Story of Crime and Celebrity in 1920s New York by Stephen Duncombe – With her modern haircut and fashionable wardrobe, Ceila Cooney seemed anything but a criminal mastermind. Nevertheless, she engineered a thrilling series of thefts, taunted police, and escaped the largest manhunt in New York City history, becoming a celebrity and icon of the rebellious Jazz Age spirit.

What are your favorite shows, books and movies about crime?

Photo credit: “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” by Curtis Gregory Perry

I’m not trying to rub it in or anything, but I just returned from a faah-bulous Hawaiian vacation. And while I fantasized about being technology-free while there, I realized that my tablet would sure come in handy for entertainment during my 12-hour (translation: forever) flight.

And handy it was. Surprisingly, my complimentary 8 peanut halves didn’t hold my attention longer than the 2.4 seconds it took to consume them, and the in-flight movie came at a rather steep price that I refused on principle. Stubborn, I know. But I learned quickly that you can take the girl out of the library, but you can’t take the library out of the girl, and my tablet connected me to everything I needed to have a pleasant travel experience. Books! Free books! At my beck and call! This concept is almost as mind-blowing as flying over an ocean whilst reading said books.

Thanks to my beloved CCPL, I had access to a great collection of digital ebooks provided by OverDrive. Browsing was a breeze. I love learning new things, so I chose to view all nonfiction titles, refining my results by availability, subject (history), and device compatibility. I “discovered” two promising titles: Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty by Caroline Alexander. I decided that they were perfect for me – just not on my vacation. So I made use of the convenient “Wish List” feature by clicking on the little ribbon that sticks out of the book cover image.

Then I found “the one,” a book that blends cheeky humor, personal experience, and well-researched history: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. She makes seemingly dull history – in this case, the Puritans of New England in the 1600s – very lively. A great vacation pick.

No beach vacation is complete without a beach read, of course, so I did a search for the first Sookie Stackhouse mystery by Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark. It was checked out, but CCPL often purchases extra copies of popular titles for only Cecil County folks, so after placing a hold, I received it in only a day or two. Talk about great timing!

I completed my mobile library experience with a search for travel and digital photography books. Much to my delight, OverDrive has both Fodor’s and Frommer’s travel guides to Hawaii and several books on photography, including the popular “Dummies” series.  What better way to spend a flight than coming up with fun things to do, see, and photograph when you land?

The library delivered knowledge, entertainment, and instruction, all from the discomfort of my pitifully “reclined” plane seat – for free!

Have a Kindle, iPad, Nook, or other device? Want help using OverDrive, our digital eLibrary? Visit or call your local branch for friendly, helpful instruction.

And tell us, how do you take your favorite reads on vacation?

Photo credit: “Hawaii” by Ricymar Photography

The Friends of the Cecil County Public Library invite you to an event to feed your mind….and your body! Their 4th annual Book Swap and Bake Sale is this Saturday, May 11th from 10am to 2pm at the Elkton Central Library.  Bring as many as 10 current, gently used books of interest to exchange for new-to-you books. Selections include a vibrant mix of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s genres. While feasting your eyes on a selection of great reads, you can also feast your stomach on a variety of delicious baked goods!

Along with the bake sale, you can buy chances for the “Celebrate the Summer” raffle with lots of exciting prizes, including tickets to the Brandywine Museum, Longwood Gardens, Maryland Science Center, and more! And just so you don’t feel guilty about the calories, all proceeds from the sale will support Cecil County Public Library’s fantastic Summer Reading Program. Admission to the Book Swap and Bake Sale is free and open to the public. Please make sure to stop by for a day of great reads and treats!

What books will you be hunting at this year’s swap?  And what’s your favorite bake sale treat?

Photo credit: “Bake Sale Platter” by 3liz4

One of my greatest pleasures is wandering through my garden after work, marking the day-to-day changes in nature.  I look for new blooms and dead head old ones, pull a pesky weed here and there and look for unexpected surprises.  Checking the status of my little kingdom is a soothing ritual.  I am strictly a flower gardener, but I imagine vegetable gardeners do the same, noting new buds and the progress of each vegetable’s exciting growth.

Whether you’re interested in flowers or vegetables, or if you’re new to gardening all-together, CCPL has a series of gardening programs this spring you might find helpful.  From planning and sowing a garden to canning the fruits and vegetables of your labor, we have programs to inspire your green thumb. Click here to see more about our program series and for links to sign up for specific programs.

We are especially excited about our first ever Plant Swap at the Elkton Central Library on May 8. Did you start too many seedlings this year?  Are your perennials desperate for some breathing room?  Gardeners are known for sharing their bounty, so bring your extras and come home with some new beauties.  Sign up online or by calling 410-996-5600 ext. 481.

For more gardening goodness, don’t forget that we have great books to keep you inspired throughout the growing season.  Try our staff recommendations for compelling, true reads about gardening or our favorite picks for creating a home-grown lifestyle.

What will you be growing this year?

Cockburn’s orders were quite clear—he was to wreak havoc and punish Americans as part of an amphibious campaign that would eventually reach from Norfolk to Havre de Grace. The sight of a British flag soon struck fear in the hearts of Marylanders up and down the Chesapeake.

While the war would continue for months to come and lead to the burning of Washington, the battle of Baltimore and the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and ultimately the British defeat at the Battle of New Orleans, Chesapeake Bay residents faced the worst of the British onslaught beginning in April 1813.

On Monday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m., join accomplished historian Mike Dixon for “Spread the News: The War of 1812 on the Chesapeake,” offering a look at how news and information was shared in an era before the instant communication we take for granted today.

Two centuries previously, the British campaign directly impacted Cecil County residents. Dixon will share anecdotes from local residents of the day, as well as details about the British rampages on the Sassafras River, Frenchtown, Elkton,  Principio and Havre de Grace—where much of the riverfront town was put to the torch despite the efforts of the heroic John O’Neill.

Mr. Dixon will be exploring how reports of the British campaign spread like wildfire, causing panic in some quarters, and in others prompting the local militia to organize a defense. He will also share some of the new discoveries that have come to light about the location of the earthworks at Elk Landing, the local historic site that played a key role in the defense of Elkton or “Head of Elk,” as it was then called.

“The times in these parts has been troublesome,” wrote militia Captain Andrew Hall of the 30th Maryland Regiment that took part in the defense of Elkton. “Our waters has been polluted with the English since last spring and is yet. They’re blockading all our seaport towns which causes merchandise of all sorts to be very high … on the 28th (of April) the British landed at Frenchtown two miles below Elkton and set it on fire, and consumed it to ashes and would have destroyed Elkton if they had not got cowed by the shot of one cannonball from a small battery thrown up at (Elk Landing).”

The War 1812 is sometimes called the Second War of Independence or even the Forgotten War, although so much of the action took place almost in our backyards here in Cecil County. After this talk, you’ll know and appreciate far more about what the War of 1812 meant for those who lived in Cecil County two centuries before.

Registration is requested due to limited seating for this talk, so please call 410-996-1134 or click here to sign up.

1. We—our citizen Board and staff—pay attention and get involved.  We learn about community challenges from the library users who walk in the door with their questions and concerns, AND from our work on boards, committees and volunteering activities around the county.

2. We are committed to being part of the solution. We work hard to anticipate what the “game-changer” insights, knowledge, books, services, technology, presentations or classes will be, AND we aim to have them at the library for you and your family or business when you walk in our door or click on our website.

3. We strive to serve the whole community and every community in Cecil County.  Our mission statement says something else special—that we provide educational and cultural resources for all.  Whether you are in kindergarten, college or AARP, wealthy or cash-strapped, studying for the GED, ASVAB, or MCAT, working to find a job or get a promotion, starting a business, or craving a good book, we are here, and we are often there, to give you access to those game-changing insights, knowledge, and services and to promote you and your community’s success.

4. It is not just a job to us.  Cecil County is, after all, a fantastic place to live, work, study and grow—a community of communities that really matter.  You inspire us with your creativity, determination, and accomplishments every day.

Visit us to celebrate our community in Cecil County Public Library branches for National Library Week, April 14 to 20.

We hope you’ll join us for a living history presentation by Jim Getty, America’s foremost Lincoln impersonator on Saturday, April 13, 1pm at the Elkton Central Library. You’ll witness President Lincoln recount his recollections from youth and his political life. Take the opportunity to ask the president those questions you’ve always been curious about!

If this era of American history fascinates you, you’ll also love Syl Woolford’s lecture on William Still, the “father of the underground railroad,” on Thursday, April 18, 7pm at the Elkton Central Library. William Still, an African American abolitionist was born in 1821, just four years before slavery was abolished in the British Empire. It would take forty-two more years before American slaves would be emancipated by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. During his life-time, William Still worked tirelessly in the Philadelphia anti-slavery movement. Ten years after emancipation, Mr. Still published a definitive work titled “The Underground Railroad.”  This local, historical figure made a signifigant impact in the Philiadlephia area. For a timeline that compares Philadelphia with the National stage, click here.

What question would you ask Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Still?

My addiction started when I moved out and got married.  I could cook, but only if the food came prepackaged in a box.  And don’t even get me started on my meatloaf catastrophe (it ended with a black smoke and grease everywhere. Why call it a loaf if you can’t use a loaf pan?).  I slowly worked my way through Sandra Lee’s series, which are fantastic if you want to ease your way out of processed food into making it from scratch. Then I moved onto the Taste of Home series and gleaned a few family favorites out of those books.

But after I had my daughter, I wanted to start eating better with less processed food.  I checked out The Eat-Clean Diet for Families and Kids by Tosca Reno, Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko, and the Cooking Light cookbooks, my favorite being Cooking Light: Fresh Food Superfast and for my little pea, I loved Cooking Light First Foods: Baby Steps to a Lifetime of Healthy Eating.

Now, I also get new recipes from Pinterest (CCPL is now on Pinterest , you should follow us!), but I still check out library cookbooks that catch my eye. I’m always looking for new, yummy recipes and if you are too, then think about coming to the North East Branch Library, April 6 at 11 am for our first Dessert Recipe Swap.  You simply make your favorite dessert and bring the recipe information.  We will share your dessert and you’ll get to taste 14 new, tasty desserts and get those recipes to take home.  If you’re interested in signing up for this program, you can simply call the North East Branch Library, 410-996-6269 or sign-up online by clicking here.

What’s your favorite dessert recipe and what are your favorite cookbooks?

Nowadays, thanks to “The Real Housewives of (Fill in the Blank),” my headstrong, sometimes shrewish self, could easily be camouflaged in sequins and heels, continue to do no housework and still be considered a model of femininity. Somehow I think the real housewives of history, revealed in the books below, would be appalled.

The Aviator’s Wife—Melanie Benjamin
Anne Morrow, the first female glider pilot to be licensed in the U.S., marries the overbearing aviator Charles Lindbergh and finds herself at odds with his beliefs and her inability to assert her independence.

Eight Girls Taking Pictures—Whitney Otto
Is it possible to balance ambition and the needs of a husband and children? For many of the pioneering women photographers in this novel, self-sacrifice proves their undoing.

The Raven’s Bride—Lenore Hart
Engaged at thirteen, Sally Clemm puts aside her dreams of being a singer to support and ultimately inspire her self-destructive fiancé, Edgar Allan Poe.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb—Melanie Benjamin
With ambitions that outsize her height, “Vinnie” Bump joins P.T. Barnum’s “freak” revue, finds love and fame and inspires Victorian women to new heights.

Claude and Camille—Stephanie Cowell
Troubled by poverty, her husband’s affairs and loneliness, the first wife of Claude Monet appeared to have suffered greatly for love, but, in reality, harbored secrets of her own.

Wintering—Kate Moses
Was Sylvia Plath’s suicide caused by bitterness over her husband’s betrayal or the inability to balance being a muse, mother and creative poet in her own right?

I also find housewifely duties uninspiring. Oh, I do what needs to be done and thoroughly enjoy the company of my children, but the joys of cooking, gardening, sewing, baking and so on are lost on me.  I fear the day one of my sons brings home a wife. Will it be a Martha Stewart clone chosen to make up for my past deficiencies or an equally opinionated woman? I better figure out how that biting your tongue thing works…

Who’s your favorite headstrong woman from the past?

On Tuesday, March 26 @ 7 pm, Lynne Gartenhaus from C4H, Companions for Heroes, will give a presentation on how soldiers and first responders can heal through the unconditional love of dogs and other pets.  C4H was founded by a soldier, Dave Sharpe, deployed in 2001 with the U.S. Air Force Security Forces. After a life threatening confrontation with a Taliban sympathizer plus additional incidents, his ordeal with PTSD began. His violence, anxiety and other symptoms went undiagnosed for eight years. When he was introduced to a rescued pit bull puppy, his healing began. Time Magazine featured a story about C4H.

C4H’s purpose is not only to help soldiers, but police officers, firefighters, and other first responders recover from the effects of PTSD and similar disorders.  Sharpe’s hope is that C4H will aid them in their recovery while at the same time saving our nation’s shelter and rescued animals. Join us at the Elkton Central Library to hear more and to meet a service dog in training.