Cuddle Up With Some Winter Romances

Posted on Friday, January 29, 2021 by Kat

book pages folded into a heart with a pink roseWinter hasn’t quite let us out of its icy grip, and I find myself wanting to read something comforting. For me, that means knowing that the characters I will inevitably fall in love with get their own happily ever afters, and so I turn to one of my favorite genres: romance. Here are just a few wintry romances to warm you up. Continue reading “Cuddle Up With Some Winter Romances”

Crafternoon-To-Go: Resin Pendant Kits

Posted on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 by cs

Our winter Crafternoon-To-Go kits could be a perfect Valentine’s gift (yay, a holiday!) for you or for someone else. Although there are lots of activities on the internet showing how to make these with resin, we have made it easy for you with pre-made pendants. All you have to do is decorate. In your kit, we have provided some decorating possibilities, such as paper flowers, glitter, and inspirational words. But don’t let us hold you back — anything that will fit will work: a picture of a loved one, a pressed flower or a favorite word. Also provided in the kit are instructions, paper backings, glue and a necklace cord. You just need a pair of scissors. Continue reading “Crafternoon-To-Go: Resin Pendant Kits”

Winter Crafting

Posted on Monday, January 25, 2021 by LStock

Three people paper crafting

I love crafting. There’s something magical about taking a random assortment of items and turning it in to something new and exciting. And it doesn’t really matter if it’s any good because, gosh darn it, you made it! It’s yours! It’s a little expression of you, made from string or paper or sticks and some glue. Getting together the necessary materials, however, especially in current times, can be daunting. Maybe you’re in quarantine. Maybe it’s really cold out. Maybe you just don’t want to leave the house. Whatever the reason, your crafting projects can’t happen because you don’t have the correct materials, right? Wrong! I’m here to help you out. You can craft awesome, creative things just using what you have at home. Don’t believe me? Well, read on fellow crafter — have I got the books for you! Continue reading “Winter Crafting”

(Better) New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on Friday, January 22, 2021 by Alyssa

list of 2021 goals, blank

Here is a by-no-means-comprehensive list of things that I have no intention of doing this year: going keto, doing crossfit, reading “War and Peace,” giving up social media. If you have already lapsed with New Year’s resolution, the problem may not be with you. Many typical resolutions are so dry and joyless. The secret to a good resolution is to pick something that will improve your life and that you will actually enjoy doing. Here are some that may spark a bit more joy than, say, dieting or giving up coffee. Continue reading “(Better) New Year’s Resolutions”

The Gentleman Recommends: Susanna Clarke (Again)

Posted on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 by Chris

While I once enjoyed travel, musical performances, picture shows and communal drinking, I now merely pace the halls of my manor chewing mail-order snacks and raving madly about the widespread inability to discover and interpret facts. When seeking an escape from the labyrinth of despair to which I’d been banished, I’d pick up a novel and read the same passage repeatedly until I’d managed to sufficiently obscure reality and retain what I was reading, and then I could proceed to subsequent passages and enjoy the experience of reading rather than fixating on disaster or listening to my butler’s tales of being berated for kindly asking people to wear a mask nearly a year into a pandemic that has killed over 400,000 people and will kill hundreds of thousands more (and cause long-term damage to countless others) and which could still be curtailed if people would simply wear a mask and not congregate as if there weren’t a pandemic. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Susanna Clarke (Again)”

Hygge and Friluftsliv: Twin Concepts of Nordic Living

Posted on Monday, January 18, 2021 by Abbey Rimel

book-warm-cottage-fire-cozy-fireplace-1064-pxhere.comOn first glance, our Comforts of Winter reading program might be perfectly captured by the the word “hygge” — the Scandinavian concept of simple and contented living. It seems hygge (pronounced ‘hue-guh’) is discussed on an annual basis when fall and winter roll around, and one usually finds the idea of a cozy evening surrounded by books, blankets and candles picturesque, but perhaps a bit limiting. Considering we were all cooped up in our homes for most of last year, we’re likely in for a massive case of cabin fever this winter. Friluftsliv to the rescue! Continue reading “Hygge and Friluftsliv: Twin Concepts of Nordic Living”

New DVD List: Dead To Me, Tenet, & More

Posted on Friday, January 15, 2021 by Decimal Diver

Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection. Click on the website links to see the trailers.


Season 1
Website / Reviews
This dark comedy series follows Jen (Christina Applegate), a sardonic widow determined to solve her husband’s recent hit-and-run murder. Judy (Linda Cardellini) is an optimistic free spirit who’s recently suffered her own tragic loss. When the two women meet at a support group, they become unlikely friends despite their polar-opposite personalities. Continue reading “New DVD List: Dead To Me, Tenet, & More”

Reader Review: Less

Posted on Monday, January 11, 2021 by patron reviewer

Editor’s note: This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will be sharing more throughout the rest of the year.

Less book cover

Less” follows a man named Arthur Less, a divorcee and moderately successful author about to turn 50. To avoid attending the wedding of the man he loves to someone else, Arthur picks up every possible travel opportunity to have an adequate excuse not to attend the wedding. This takes him to Italy, Germany, France, Morocco, India and Japan. Several embarrassments, misadventures, and life lessons ensue. I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh out loud several times, and the ever-changing scenery keeps it interesting.

Three words that describe this book: Fun, heartfelt, humorous

You might want to pick this book up if: You are looking for a light, fun summer read that still has substance.

-Anonymous

Literary Links: Long Reads

Posted on Sunday, January 10, 2021 by Chris

The time is right to find a long book and a cozy spot: it’s dark and cold outside, it’s unsafe to congregate inside and, if we all stay home and read, we’ll slow the viral spread while transporting and soothing (or at least distracting) our overworked brains. Here are a few doozies to help you while away the COVID winter. 

Utopia Avenue book cover

Perhaps the absence of live music in real life added to the thrills of reading David Mitchell’sUtopia Avenue,” but even if the ecstatic guitar solos, beautiful harmonies and thundering drums lovingly rendered on its pages could currently be recreated in front of an audience and with sound rather than prose, the book would still be a gift. Although many novels have charted the course of a fictional band, few feature a guitarist with a malevolent spirit lodged in his head. As a bonus, if you haven’t read the rest of Mitchell’s novels, doing so will illuminate aspects of this one, and also be tremendous fun.  Continue reading “Literary Links: Long Reads”

Virtual Travels With UNESCO – The American West and Southwest

Posted on Friday, January 8, 2021 by JessB

Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

World Heritage SitesWelcome back to the next installment of Virtual Travel with UNESCO! It can be fun to explore new places — even without leaving the comfort of your own home. Previously, we talked about the UNESCO organization and their list of World Heritage sites. Part I focused on the sites closest to Mid-Missouri and a few more in the central and eastern United States. If you have not had the chance to read the first part of this series, UNESCO is a worldwide organization that promotes cultural diversity, safeguarding natural resources, and protecting culturally meaningful sites around the globe. UNESCO has over a thousand sites that are protected by the organization and considered valuable cultural and natural resources. Today, I will be highlighting UNESCO World Heritage sites in the west and southwestern United States. To see the entire list of natural and cultural World Heritage Sites check out World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 1,031 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Let’s explore! Continue reading “Virtual Travels With UNESCO – The American West and Southwest”