Blog Entries

If you are looking for something to read for the Adult Summer Reading Program, why not try a paperback classic? What makes a work of literature a classic? We may think of a classic book as one written by an author who has died, but there are contemporary classics by living authors, too. Classics are books that are well-written and hold up over time. They could be a first in a genre or have cultural importance.

Why Native Plants? 

In Marvelous Us! Part I and Part II we explored books related to our marvelous human bodies. Although popular culture over-emphasizes how our bodies may look, we often fail to appreciate how our bodies function. Whether or not you are happy with the way your body looks, the way it functions is truly marvelous.

Part I of Marvelous Us! got us started on an exploration of the human body by examining some recent titles added to the library’s collection. The subject is so large and rich that we need three parts to cover our recent acquisitions on the topic.  In Part I we looked at our skin, microbes, bacteria, hearts, blood, transplantation, and an overview of the human body.

In this installment of the Pushing My Shelf  blog series, Lisa talks about some great and some not so great movies based on books.

This month we thought we would do a blog series for the Push Your Shelf Bingo Challenge. The challenge is to complete Bingo squares that “push your shelf.” In other words, read or try something that you might not ordinarily consider; something not typically found on your bookshelf. Find out more here.

February is a good time of year to turn our attention to our local birds. With the leaves off the (deciduous) trees, birds cannot hide from us as easily. We are more likely to spot birds and be able to look for field marks to identify them. February is also when the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place. The GBBC provides an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to contribute to our knowledge of birds.

April is National Poetry Month!  In April of 2019 I created a poster (from clip art) and selected books of poetry to display in the Bowman branch of HRLS. Sixteen books of poetry got checked out! In April of 2020 I wrote a blog to commemorate National Poetry Month. I thought I would take a year off from the topic in 2021. But it is April, a very poetic time of year.

It used to be that many scientists did not want help from non-scientists. They thought that a typical person/citizen did not have the skills, knowledge, or training to make a meaningful contribution to their discipline. Wrong! This was a common attitude even though history is littered with self-taught or non-professional people who did make important scientific contributions. The hundred plus years of data from the Christmas Bird Counts would never have been possible only relying upon scientists.

Part I of This blog is for the birds focused on the Great Backyard Bird Count that takes place each February. In Part II, I want to share with some you of the new titles (about birds) that have been added to our collection in the past year and remind you of related selections in our DVD collection.

I admire birds. They can fly under their own power and I cannot. In many ways I find them beautiful and in many more ways fascinating. Each February since 1998 Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society have sponsored the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC.) This is a citizen science effort, created to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time.

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying: “Beer is proof that God loves and wants us to be happy.” It is a good story even if it may not be true. I am happy with the rise of microbrews and craft breweries, favoring hoppy ales or IPAs over the typical American lagers.

The Geminids are a favorite meteor shower, with the peak occurring this year on Sunday December 13. Undoubtedly, it was a Geminid meteor I saw one December night as a child, with my brothers, walking around our neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Several characteristics help to make the Geminids a favorite. This shower can produce several meteors per hour, it is second only to the Perseids in August. Here, in August, the sky can be hazy with humidity impacting the view. December brings crisp air and the possibility of clearer skies.

This time of year is ripe with fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden, famers’ markets and farm stands. So delicious! You can save a taste of summer by making preserves or jellies, pickles, drying or freezing this summer’s bounty.