“100 Days of Real Food” is a cook book but it’s also the author and her family’s journey of taking a 100 day pledge to eat only real, unprocessed food. She shares her favorite recipes for eating whole food, what she learned along the way, as well as information about our conventional food system.
The book was quite eye opening. I knew a good amount of the information already but this is a pretty comprehensive look at the food industry. While it’s not a new book, it’s got really rich information in it and timeless advice on how to find and benefit from REAL food.
Three words that describe this book: Cooking, health, lifestyle
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re looking for healthier recipes with few ingredients, looking to make lifestyle changes but aren’t sure where to start, are disgusted by the corporate food industry and want info to inspire you to make changes in how you source your food.
-Hannah
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
Two of my favorite things are Pirates and Godzilla movies. So I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon “Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons.” This comic book limited series, now collected in trade paperback, is an awesome summer read.
Written by Frank Tieri, this story places Monster Island in the tropical waters of the golden age of piracy. The book is a quick read, full of maritime adventure and giant monster battles.
Even if you don’t dig the story, the book is worth picking up just to peruse the gorgeous artwork. Artist Inaki Miranda’s illustrations are so good that they earned this title a nomination for Best Penciller/Inker at this year’s Eisner Awards.
{Pirate voice}: If ye be searching for some summertime adventure, voyage to DB-Arrr-L and pick up “Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons.”
Three words that describe this book: Adventurous, Exciting, Fun
You might want to pick this book up if: You are into Pirates or Kaiju
-Joe
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“The Outrun” – Website / Reviews
Based on the best-selling memoir this dramatic film is about addiction and recovery, strength and survival, mental health and the ability of the sea, the land and of people to restore life and renew hope.
“Robot Dreams” – Website / Reviews
This Oscar-nominated animated film, based on the graphic novel, follows the adventures and misfortunes of a dog and a robot in New York City during the 1980s.
“Sleep” – Website / Reviews
In this South Korean dark horror comedy, a young, expectant wife must figure out how to stop her husband’s nightmarish sleepwalking habits before he harms himself or his family.
“The Substance” – Website / Reviews
This Oscar nominated horror film stars actress Demi Moore as a fading celebrity who decides to use a black market drug to temporarily create a younger, better version of herself.
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” – Website / Reviews
Shown at the True/False Film Fest, this doc follows two DIY detectives seeking the cover model behind a popular educational typing software, while posing questions about identity & technology. Continue reading “New DVD List: February 2025”
As long as I’ve been driving, I have been locked in a struggle with my car. My beaters have stalled out, erupted coolant, leaked, squealed and haunted my nightmares. I’ll admit, the ceaseless cycle of break downs broke me down to the point I became apathetic to my car. Right now, on the precipice of replacing my ride, I found an invaluable guide for the road ahead.
Chaya Milchtein’s “Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership” helped me reset a decade of bad habits with the education and empowerment to do better. The quick read left me with more insight on my vehicle than I had generated in the past decade. Milchtein, an automotive educator, combines expertise, personal perspectives and plain language into an approachable overview of a car’s life. For those like me, ignorant and almost afraid of their car, and those who have been intentionally dispossessed from car ownership, the book offers friendly guidance. Continue reading “Staff Review: Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership by Chaya Milchtein”
![Substack Review: Features, Pricing, & Alternatives [2025]](https://www.smbguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/substack-icon.png)
While there are many social media platforms available to us, today, I would like to sing praises of Substack, a company that believes “the internet’s powers for good could be realized if they were tied to a business model that produces better incentives…” than other platforms. For me, those incentives include conversations from bestselling authors as well as gardeners, new writers and artists sharing their work, and gleeful hobbyists sharing quilts and chicken coops.
Substack allows you to bypass traditional print and media gatekeepers. Write directly to your readers and develop a relationship. In addition to a traditional newsletter you can work in audio, video or chat formats. You are also given a web presence for people who prefer reading on an app or browser window. Branding and other customization options allow you to present a consistent newsletter and web page. Subscriptions are free to your readers, with an option for you to charge a small fee for select material.
“How to Build a World Class Substack” by Russell Nohelty and Claire Venus is a great resource. Using personal experiences, Nohelty shares a step-by-step process of creating your presence on Substack. Learn about newsletter management, book launching, scheduling, interacting and more. In all fairness, this book and I didn’t click. The information is good, though, and it’s on Hoopla so you won’t have to wait to check it out. Continue reading “Substack! The Social Media App for Writers and Creatives”
For the First Thursday Book Discussion this March, step into the Chicken Hill neighborhood, circa 1925, where African Americans and European immigrants struggle to find or keep their place in our still-young nation.
In the vein of Zora Neale Hurston, “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Story” captures a rarely documented view of early 20th century American culture with wit, wisdom and authenticity. Regardless of race or religion, the characters of McBride’s diverse cast come to life on the page in their shared effort to protect a deaf, orphaned boy from being sent to a horrific state institution.
Winner of the National Book Award for the novel “The Good Lord Bird,” McBride is surely one of the great authors of our time. His books read like instant classics, filled with nuance and layers of meaning that give way to more depth with each examination. And yet, the writing is accessible and readable, with plot and characters that hold the reader’s attention on their own merit.
If you’ve already read “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” read it again. Like other classics, rereading one of McBride’s books will reveal new insights and meaning, staying relevant over time. Whether you’re new to McBride’s work or a return visitor, bring your observations and questions to our First Thursday Book Discussion at noon on March 6 in the Children’s Programming room of the Columbia Public Library.
The 2025 Black History Month theme is exciting and wide-sweeping! This theme “focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds — free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary — intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.” The theme is particularly appropriate, since 2025 celebrates the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids by labor organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph. This organization was the first Black union to receive an American Federation of Labor charter. Continue reading “Black History Month 2025: African Americans and Labor”
This past November, The Atlantic released an alarming article about elite college freshmen who lack the ability to read books. It turns out that many students have never received an assignment to read an entire book in their middle and high schools, but rather have studied excerpts, poems and articles. Concerned educators have cited several possible and fairly obvious explanations: smartphones, the No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core educational standards, the pandemic, an increase in focus on practical employment and declining enrollment in the humanities.
Top universities and colleges are adjusting as best they can without compromising educational excellence. For example, Andrew Delbanco, a Columbia University American studies professor, has modified a seminar to emphasize short pieces of writing rather than longer classic literature. Instead of powering through “Moby-Dick,” students now examine “Billy Budd” and “Bartleby, the Scrivener.” In support of such a pivot, Columbia’s literature humanities chair, Joseph Howley, maintains that he’d rather students skip over some longer classics if they can benefit from focusing on shorter works in greater depth.
The idea that short stories might offer an option warrants follow-up. In addition to teaching necessary skills such as critical analysis and empathy that can lead readers to tackling longer, more ambitious pieces of literature, short stories are valuable on their own merits. Short stories allow readers to explore new genres, perspectives and authors, especially collections of stories including different authors.
To that end, here are a few fascinating and unique anthologies perfect for stretching the mind in smaller doses: Continue reading “Literary Links: Exploring Short Stories”
Sunday, February 9 marks a special day. In 1964 on February 9 the Beatles made their first appearance on live American television on the Ed Sullivan show. President William Henry Harrison was born that day. Super Bowl Sunday falls on February 9 this year.
Most importantly: it’s National Pizza Day.
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in America, and National Pizza Day is something to celebrate. The ‘Zza is also one of the most kid friendly foods, assembly is easy, and weekly homemade pizza is a tradition for many families, including mine. Some of my fondest memories of Friday night as a child, which unfortunately also included watching the Dukes of Hazzard in its prime time slot, was eating the delicious homemade pizza my Mom would make for the large brood of kids in my family.
We actually renamed this pizza “Beez Pizza” after the famed matriarchal Siamese cat in our house (who was also named Barry, and it’s unclear how she got the nickname “Beez” but that’s another story), because this same cat would often be found partaking in a slice she’d dragged to the floor. Continue reading “February 9: National Pizza Day”
February brings another edition of LibraryReads, also known as: new books that library folk love! Of course, with it being February, we’ve got a fair amount of romance. But if you’re not much of a romance reader, fear not! There are also some murder mystery, historical and speculative fictions, and psychological suspense.
“First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borison
This is a cute story about Lucie, whose daughter calls into a radio show for people looking for love. Aiden, the show’s host, is taken by her honesty and invites her to the show to document her quest for love. It’s a bumpy ride, but Aiden is there the whole way! Readers will love the tension between Lucie and Aiden, and the secondary characters are chef’s kiss.
~Claire Schroeder, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, OH Continue reading “February 2025 LibraryReads”
