Mercer County Library Blog

Hi, it’s me, I’m a Swiftie, it’s me. This April, Taylor Swift is taking on a new role, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department, a nod to her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department . Always happy to dig into the clues that Ms. Swift shares about her work, fans were very quick to notice something special about the release date of April 19th. Yes, it’s National Cat Lady Day, and Swift is a proud “Cat Lady”. But that’s not all - National Cat Lady Day happens to fall within National Poetry Month  “a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters” established by the Academy of American Poets and celebrated since 1996. As the lyrics to “Mastermind” ask, “ What if I told you none of it was accidental ”? Smart marketing strategy? Likely. Perfect opportunity for Librarians to share poetry related resources? Certainly. So, whether you’re brand new to poetry or just looking for something new, I present to you Databases I’m fairly con

There is a new book club coming to the Lawrence Branch. The True Crime Book Club was originally scheduled for May 28 (you may have seen the flyers), but our new date is June 25 at 3PM. That's one extra month to pour over Michelle McNamara's exciting book. We hope you'll join us on June 25 at 3PM. Why true crime? Well, despite some people’s discomfort with the genre it is extremely popular, particularly in the podcast space and particularly among women. However, we’re diving into the book space and there is a long history of true crime books capturing curious readers. For example, Zhang Yingyu’s The Book of Swindles , a book of allegedly true cases of fraud, dates back to 1617. There is also the first true crime book in English, John Reynold’s The Triumphe of God's Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sinn of Murther , which dates back to 1635. However, the true crime genre as we know it today, a nonfiction “novel” of investigative journalism, started with Rodolfo Wa

As the weather warms up, I’ve been taking more walks. I listen for birds, spy on chipmunks, and watch for wildflowers, even the resolute weeds that emerge from the cracks of the sidewalks. Back at the library, I might look up a curiosity in one of our many field guides. But what about the sidewalk itself? I wonder most about animals and plants, but I wonder too about all the human stuff: the drainage grates, the names of streets, the sanitation workers collecting recycling. The library also has field guides to these things. As an example, I picked a house, typical of this area, that I often pass on my lunch break walks. What can I learn about this house? Using property tax records, I learned that it was built in 1969. Then I turned to our copy of A Field Guide to American Houses: The Defining Guide to Identifying ad Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture by Virginia Savage McAlester. This is a large and delightful guide, with lots of example photos and diagrams of architectura

Every few years, I develop a new preference for one genre over all others. I call it my “bread-and-butter” genre, and at least half the books I read will be part of it. My b-n-b genre of the last year or so has been (mostly) epic fantasy written by women. I’ll share just a few of my favorites in the genre with you. Better yet, these are all series starters so, if you like the first book, there’s more enjoyment to be had. Happy reading! A River Enchanted  by Rebecca Ross Rebecca Ross accomplishes what so few authors can: a feeling of magic that weaves through the pages of a book, until you feel enchanted through reading it. Ross’ fantasy Scotland is a place worth visiting again and again. I only hope she continues to write in this world. Jack Tamerlaine hasn't stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence:

The thought that we could have a Community Quilting Project at the library struck me quite unexpectedly. It might have been simmering forever as a constant draw towards fabric, colors, and patterns. Or it might have slowly infused from seeing donated sarees sitting under my desk for more than a year. Quilting requires bringing together fabric and patterns skillfully, something I had never done before.  Feeling this is amazing and someone ought to stop me in equal measure, I promptly checked with two of my trusted creatives--“Do you think this doable?” And as luck would have had it, they encouraged my flash of inspiration. Even more serendipitous was the fact that around the same time we had created a new workspace for patrons at the branch, and the bare walls there were begging for artwork. Not to mention, a super-important enthusiastic reception of the idea from my supervisor. Our quilt would be created at our branch and it would also end up having a home in our library! I starte

One of the wonderful privileges that I have as a Youth Services librarian is providing outreach to our community. Outreach can come in many forms, including preschool story times, library card drives, book talks at the middle school, providing information literacy to high schoolers, and all ages opportunities like tabling at a local farmer’s market or fair. I personally believe that library outreach is one of the most important services that we provide. By going out into the community, we aim to establish and nurture relationships with our patrons, encourage literacy, and spread the word about all of the other services one can get with their library card! This morning, I had the privilege of performing a preschool story time at the West Windsor Learning Experience. I got to meet forty bright-eyed children, and taught them songs and rhymes as I played my ukulele. Then, I read two books, one about going to school and one about friends having different interests. I asked them at the end

April is a month with many reasons to celebrate, whether it’s a religious holiday, April Fools’ Day, or simply the blooming of daffodils. For a Boston native like myself, the third Monday of April always meant Patriots’ Day, a day off from school that was spent happily watching an 11am Red Sox game and the Boston Marathon. Not to be confused with the Patriot Day that arose after September 11, 2001, Patriots’ Day commemorates the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord, considered the first volleys in the Revolutionary War after years of unrest between Britain and the colonists.  And why is the Boston Marathon held on that day? The name itself evokes a battle, coming as it does from the Battle of Marathon in ancient Greece. After the modern Olympics was revived in Greece in 1896, members of the Boston Athletic Association were inspired to organize a hometown version of the race. They scheduled it for April 19, 1897, which had been made a holiday just

Growing up, my sister Jenny was an avid reader. I cannot remember a time in our childhood when I did not see a book in her hands. During the two-hour car ride up to my grandparents' house, she would be reading in the car. The night before our family trips to Cape Cod, she would pack as many books as she could in her suitcase and, at night when we were supposed to be sleeping, she would be reading her books. Even when we were going to play outside, my sister would climb the highest tree in our backyard, lean against the tree trunk and read. One of Jenny's ambitions was to read all the cat books in the Walter C. Black Elementary School library. Our local library, the Hickory Corner Branch , became a second home to her. We would stop at the library during our family walks for Jenny to check out even more books. Throughout my childhood, I looked up to my older sister and wanted to be just like her. Everything she did, I tried to do - especially when it came to reading. There was a

My recent trip to Japan was a lot of fun. One of the best things I was able to bring back with me was an appreciation for Japanese food. A lot of everyday Japanese dishes are easy for westerners to make at home - or find locally. Here are some of my favorites. I didn't include the amazing stuff you can get at 7-11 in Japan , but keep that in mind if you ever go there. Japanese Curry Japan has its own take on curry, and in my experience, Japanese people will be quick to remind you of that if you confuse it with other curries. Japanese curry is typically served over rice, meat or noodles. It's ingredients are available in most American grocery stores if you want to make it at home. If you're ever in Tokyo, you might want to stop by a neighborhood called Jinbocho that's famous for two things: bookstores and Japanese curry! Wasabi Because it was my first time in Japan, I had to try the sushi. It was great, of course, and one of the things that stood out to me was the u

As the weather grows warmer and the days longer, thoughts turn to gardening and, more specifically, to vegetable gardening. There are many information resources available for the Mercer County gardener. A good source of general information is the Home, Lawn and Garden Section of the Rutgers Agricultural Experiment Station. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/home-lawn-garden/ Another good source is the Master Gardeners of New Jersey Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County – Providing horticultural information and programs to the community (mgofmc.org) , who are located at 1440 Parkside Avenue in Ewing, NJ, and are available Monday through Thursday from 9am-3pm and Friday from 9am to noon. They can be reached by phone at (609) 989-6853. If you come to the office in person, a photo or sample is very helpful.  A book from our collection that focuses on growing vegetables in New Jersey is: Grow Great Vegetables in New Jersey by Marie Ianotti This b