Bayou Bytes Blog

February is American Heart Month. The American Heart Association focuses on women this month with their "Go Red for Women" campaign. A few facts about women and heart disease:  Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women age 20 and over, killing approximately one woman every minute. More women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. 1 in 3 American women die of heart disease, compared to 1 in 30 women that die of breast cancer. Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. Eighty percent of cardiac events in women may be prevented if they make the right choices for their hearts, involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.* For information about heart disease, prevention, and treatment, visit the 616.1 , 616.12 , and 616.123 call numbers @ your library branch. From the library website,( www.calcasieulibrary.org/resources ) you can access through the LA state online re...

Book Chat is a weekly meeting at the Moss Bluff Library that allows people to get together and discuss what they are currently reading, as well as get ideas on what to read next. We have also begun a “Book of the Month,” which will be handed out for all members to discuss on a specific date. Our first book is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, which will be discussed on February 1st. Copies are still available for those wishing to participate. Below are a couple books readers discussed at the January 18th meeting. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons Kaye Gibbons’ debut novel from 1987 Ellen Foster follows the titular character Ellen, 11, as she searches for a good family and home following the suicide of her mother. Despite a series of adverse events, Ellen remains determined at all times until she gets what she wants. Ellen Foster is a coming-of-age tale that makes for a quick and heart-warming read. Find it at your library! Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver ...

Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and their Search for Adventure Author: Adams, Amanda ISBN: 9781553654339 Call Number: 930.1092 ADA 2010 Summary: The seven adventurous ladies - Gertrude Bell, Harriet Boyd-Hawes, Agatha Christie, Jane Dieulafoy, Amelia Edwards, Dorothy Garrod, and Zelia Nuttall - highlighted in this book were pioneering archaeologists. Their life stories make the Victorian era's “men only in archaeology” attitude, which continued in the archaeological field into the twentieth century, very evident; but they did not let that hardship stop them from accomplishing much in their domain. The inclusion of Agatha Christie’s love of archaeology helps to explain three of her crime mysteries. This well-researched collection includes a glossary, notes, bibliography, and index. The reader is left with a great admiration of these female archaeologists. Books to read: The books about archaeology are classified as 930.1. Reviewed by: Mary

Tax season is here and with it are a few changes to tax laws. For instance, this year taxes are due by April 18th instead of the tradition 15th. For more changes in tax scheduling, visit http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=233910,00.html Tax law changes can be read about at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/content/0,,id=178012,00.html And additional information for individuals can be found at http://www.irs.gov/individuals/index.html

Book Chat is a weekly meeting at the Moss Bluff Library that allows people to get together and discuss what they are currently reading, as well as get ideas on what to read next. We have also begun a “Book of the Month,” which will be handed out for all members to discuss on a specific date. Our first book is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, which we handed out on January 4th and will discuss on February 1st. Copies are still available for those wishing to participate. Below are a few books readers discussed at the January 4th meeting. The Help by Kathryn Stockett Kathryn Stockett’s impressive (and popular) debut novel The Help begins in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi when Skeeter, a recent graduate of Ole Miss, decides to write about the town’s segregation. Skeeter focuses on the lives of two African-American women: Aibileen and Minny. The Help contains characters so vivid, readers have found it impossible not to become emotionally involved in their stories. Stocke...

Book Chat is a weekly meeting at the Moss Bluff Library that allows people to get together and discuss what they are currently reading, as well as get ideas on what to read next. Below are a few books readers discussed at the December 28th meeting. The Passage by Justin Cronin The Passage is the first in a series of novels about a post-apocalyptic world in which people struggle to survive against vampire-like creatures, which were created by the government in a botched experiment for immortality. While the book is over 760 pages, Cronin’s writing is gripping and suspenseful enough to make his work hard to put down. Find it at your library! City of Bones by Cassandra Clare City of Bones is the first book in the popular Young Adult “Mortal Instruments” series by author Cassandra Clare. The series centers around Shadowhunters, human demon-killers. With an array of supernatural creatures that includes vampires and werewolves, City of Bones is capable of satisfying those looking for...