February 2021
Hello friends, and welcome to another issue of Connect, a newsletter made for YOU. Happy February!
 
Our library building is open for grab & go! Please stop by to browse the shelves, use a computer, or chat with us. We’re happy to see you again. Until then, please enjoy this newsletter. Remember you don't need to live in Batavia to subscribe!
Let's Laugh
Create Something
A lot of cookie decorating gets done in February. Whether you celebrate Valentine's day, Galentine's day, or Single Awareness day, here are some tips on how to create the perfectly decorated cookie. 
  • From Fantabulosity: A beginner’s guide to cookie decorating using royal icing.
  • From The Simple Sweet Life: New to cookie decorating? Claire, a baker blogger, tells you 10 tips for cookie decorating success.
  • From Rosanna Pansino: Cookies not your thing? How about chocolate covered pretzels or cheesecake? Rosanna Pansino shows you how to make a variety of lovely treats!
  • From Wilton: Want to make cookies, but need some inspiration? Look no further than Wilton.
  • From YouTube: Baking not your thing, but you love watching cookie decorating videos? Check out this video, 8-and-a-half minutes of delicious looking cookie decorating. So satisfying...
Learn Something
February is Dog Training Education Month. Learn a little bit about how to train dogs, and also why it’s important to have a well-obeyed pup.
  • From American Kennel Club: Read up and watch videos about basic dog training.
  • Also from American Kennel Club: Gain information about service dogs and their training.
  • From Sesame Street: Have kids? Gina from Sesame Street explains what a service dog is, and why you shouldn’t touch them or call them.
  • From our catalog: Looking to check out a book or DVD about training dogs? Check the link to see what we own in our collection. Or come in and browse the shelves around 636.7.
Read Something
February is Black History Month. Take some time this month to read about black history and culture. Then continue reading about it well into March, April… May……… (you get the idea...)
  • An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
  • Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
  • The Known World by Edward P. Jones
  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
  • A Lucky Man Jamel Brinkley
  • Magical Negro by Morgan Parker
  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  • They Were her Property by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
  • This is my America by Kim Johnson
  • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
  • Well-Read Black Girl edited by Glory Edium
  • What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah
  • The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
  • You Should see me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Watch Something
Rent
 
Sound the alarm. Rent is available for check out on Hoopla. 
 
I can’t think of any other stage musical-to-movie adaptation that I love more than Rent. I first saw it in the theater with my girlfriends in high school, and we all SOBBED and group-hugged at the end, embracing our friendship, and not taking this life for granted. (How many of those people am I still friends with? I’d rather not say…) But that memory of shared sadness and shared gratitude will stay with me forever. 
 
Rent is about a group of adults, struggling to pay, well, rent! They're also struggling to find and keep love and to literally survive. There is a lively cast of characters ranging from a nerdy film-maker, a recovering rockstar, a drug-addicted exotic dancer, a gender defying diva, and an outspoken public speaker in leather pants. The movie spans about 1-year in their lives, and is filled with amazing music and heart. Honestly, it’s so good. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?
 
You’ve probably already bopped to Seasons of Love. Or you might be more familiar with Andy Bernard’s rendition from The Office. My favorite song, though, is What You Own.
 
Just Stay Home
Kane County is in Tier 1! If you’re comfortable, go eat at a restaurant! Take a group fitness class! Stay safe, wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands. You know the drill.
 
As always, check our library calendar for virtual events happening for all ages.
In Conclusion
Stay happy. Stay healthy. Wash your hands. 
 
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Batavia Public Library
10 S. Batavia Ave.
Batavia, Illinois 60510
630-879-1393

www.bataviapubliclibrary.org/