Native American Heritage Month and other NEW FICTION

November is Native American Heritage Month. Explore the ancestral heritage of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Yuchi peoples as the Mississippian mound builders' civilization comes to life in People of the Thunder, the latest in the North America's Forgotten Past series. Also, explore Native American culture in the American Indian Experience online resource.

Check out our BOOK CLUBS and more suggested reading.

Holiday ideas and other new NONFICTION

This year, forget agonizing over your holiday shopping list; everyone likes homemade gifts, especially when they're stylish (and warm!). To learn how to make scarves, pet accessories, home decor and more, check out Knitted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give. Those pressed for time will appreciate Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, which includes projects that can be finished in as little as two hours.

For holiday cooking ideas, try one of Martha Stewart's trusted cooking compendiums, like Martha Stewart's Cooking School, for a dish sure to add class to your holiday table. Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, the first cookbook from Brooklyn bakery owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, is full of treats with a twist, like Sweet and Salty Cake, which will add pizzazz to your holiday table. Looking for more traditional tastes? The classic recipes in Dorie Greenspan's Baking are sure to please.

See what's new in COOKING,  CRAFTS,  and  PARENTING.

Money is tight. According to CNNMoney.com, "Thrift is the new black. Cheap is chic." If cheap is chic, then the public library is definitely the place to be. As economic woes continue, library use is booming across the country. Take a look at the money you save at your public library!

Tell the Mid-America Regional Council what you think the Kansas City region's transportation priorities should be for the next three decades. Take the Transportation Outlook 2040 survey.