Hi Dusty, In addition to the other book I posted here, I also have Rock Gardens & Alpine Plants by David Joyce, 1985. It only cost $6.95 but it is a good book nonetheless. It takes you from the construction of a rock garden, to selection of plants, propagation of plants, to how to deal with pests and upkeep of the garden (winterizing, etc.) The reason I bought the book though was because of all the lovely pictures (many) of plants I can never hope to grow in Zone9. Even so, I have a few hens and chicks melting in my back yard at this moment. We not only have extreme heat but we also have extreme humidity! Incidently, I would like to thank you for posting the info about blocked email addresses on your member page. I have been trying to figure out what to do about it and have been searching all over info at the My Yahoo mail site. Now I know I need to change some options on my member page at Gardenweb. THANKS! Barb

Thank you Ann. Our local library seems to be getting rid of older books at an increased rate in order to make room for digital readers(computers) and related materials.

Hi everyone, I started the discussion threads for August. Unfortunately I haven't finished either book yet but I can look up some discussion questions when I get home. If anyone wants to jump in and get it going, please feel free!

Great topic, Yoyobon! Just yesterday I picked up a rather new book from the library for which I'd been waiting in line for a while. Its title is The Library Book, written by Susan Orlean. I've only taken a quick peek, but it looks really interesting. Unfortunately, because several of my "holds" became available all at once (you know the feeling), I'm going to have to return this one to the library unread and put myself back on the hold list. But I sort of can't wait to read it. Here's a partial description from Booklist: Libraries pulse with stories and not only those preserved in books. When creative nonfiction virtuoso Orlean (Rin Tin Tin, 2011) first visited Los Angeles' Central Library, she was transfixed. Then she learned about the 1986 fire, which many believed was deliberately set and which destroyed or damaged more than one million books and shut the library down for seven years. Intrigued, Orlean embarked on an all-points research quest, resulting in this kaleidoscopic and riveting mix of true crime, history, biography, and immersion journalism. While her forensic account of the conflagration is eerily mesmerizing, Orlean is equally enthralling in her awestruck detailing of the spectrum of activities that fill a typical Central Library day, and in her profiles of current staff and former head librarians, including brilliant and forceful Tessa Kelso, who ran into censorship issues, and consummate professional Mary Jones, who was forced out in 1905 because the board wanted a man. Orlean widens the lens to recount the crucial roles public libraries have played in America and to marvel at librarians' innovative and caring approaches to meeting diverse needs and cutting-edge use of digital technologies.