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More than Words

Submitted by MaryBeth on

Designer: Kyle Bean

The future of the book is a hot topic for those of us invested in our local libraries. With eBooks providing the latest titles, Project Gutenberg supplying all classic literature completely free, and most of our factual research happening on Google, it seems the book is speeding down the dreary road to obsolescence.

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Surprised by Greatness

Submitted by Trina on

Have you ever started reading a book or sat down to watch a movie because you had nothing else to do or because someone suggested it to you & with very low or no expectations you found yourself completely blown away by its greatness?  It is one of the absolute best feelings, ever.  And it's really hard to come by!  That pure happenstance feeling of wonder is not something for which you can p

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I'm Enjoying Being Terrible

Submitted by Trina on

Image of Trina's CameraWhen you're really young it can sometimes feel like everything you do has an end-game.  New skills are fodder for resumes & college applications.  Hobbies aren't really hobbies - they're competitive sports.  One of my favorite things about being a grown up is that I can do things for the simple joy of doing them, & I can continue being ter

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Awesome Books, Awful Covers

Submitted by Trina on

It's an age-old adage we've all heard before - Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover.  But honestly, how many people take this advice to heart?  Like, none.  Publishers put thousands of dollars into designing covers that tell readers what kind of story is contained within, so if you're a choosy reader - & who among us is not - you should probably take a moment to consider the target market for the book you hold in your hands.  Does that handsome, shirtless man holding that bodice-adorned lady promise a mystery thriller?  Does the author's name printed four times bigger than the title of the b

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I've never heard of any of these movies!

Submitted by Trina on

Image of Micmacs FilmWe've all been there.  It's sweltering hot outside, and the thought of doing anything except staying inside makes you cringe.  (Or in this week's case, it's rainy or insanely humid.)  You have the brilliant idea of coming to the library to check out some movies to keep you occupied indoors, but you find that everyone else had the same idea & all that's left to check out are a bunc

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My Favorite Cookbooks

Submitted by Trina on

When I was 17, I began a nearly decade-long trek to vegetarianism.  I was really awesome at being fair-weathered about it, choosing to avoid meat & fish whenever it was convenient & eating half a fried turkey when it smelled good.  A few years ago I read the book Eating Animals, and my-oh-my what a good book.  I definitely found my lazy-vegetarian-soulmate in Jonathan Safran Foer, but since it felt like I was reading my own food manifesto, I have actually followed through in giving up

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A Very [Jane] Austen Summer

Submitted by Trina on

It seems that summer is the time of year that the whole world is hyper-aware of books.  Summer reading lists abound, and while those beach reads always sound really enticing, there's one author in particular whose siren song I cannot ignore beginning around mid-May.  That author is the incomparable Jane Austen.

So how do I indulge my obsession with a many many years deceased author who only wrote six novels, all of which I've read [several times each]?  I'm so glad you asked!

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Weird Fiction

Submitted by Tristan on

Tristan’s recommendations

Last month some of my recommendations were on display.  I would like to highlight a few of my favorite books of weird fiction.

The Drowning Girl by Caitlin Kiernan

If you like authors like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or James Joyce, I heartily recommend you try reading Caitlin Kiernan. This first person narrative from an extremely unreliable source details her chance encounters that both threaten and save her life.

 

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

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