Category: Recommendations

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Recommendations

Celebrating Thanksgiving

by Public Service Associate Owen

Thanksgiving! It means many things to many different people, but to me it is the best holiday. It’s a day of celebration, reflection, and quality time with family, friends, and the living room couch. It’s a time for parades, board games, football, toasts, and massive caloric intake. But it can also be quite stressful, especially if you’re in charge of the feast and festivities, so I will be briefly sharing some books and other items that will help ensure the big day goes as smoothly as possible. So, without further ado, here are some resources to help you along as you plan and prepare for a wonderful Thanksgiving. Cheers!

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Recommendations

Armchair Travel: Pittsburgh

by Public Service Associate Juliana

image from amy@garbelladesign.com

I lived in Pittsburgh for a brief stint while in school, the only time and the only place I’ve ever lived anywhere other than Ohio. During those years, the concept of Home was almost always on my mind, as I tried to feel at home in a new place while simultaneously feeling very, very homesick. Home has always meant Ohio and my family. To me home is the house by the creek, wild blackberry bushes and Queen Anne’s lace along the back drive, Mamaw and Poppy’s house next door, Mom’s no-bake cookies cooling on the counter, Dad’s boots by the door, meals with my siblings, my childhood bedroom.

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Booklists Recommendations

Ghost Stories

by Public Service Associate Hannah

It’s said that Halloween is a time when the veil between our earthly plane and the spiritual world is thin. And a thin veil means it is easier for spirits to cross and walk among the living. Whether you believe in phantasms or not, telling ghost stories is a timeless, cross-cultural tradition. Even Pliny the Younger (c. 61 – 113 CE) wrote about the specter of an old man, complete with a long beard and rattling chains, haunting his home in Athens. So without further ado, allow me to share some of the latest ghost stories haunting the library shelves!

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Programs Recommendations

Vampires In the Library!!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

//image still from official trailer, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

I was never a vampire reader, no Dracula, The Queen of the Damned, or Salem’s Lot. My preferred medium for vampire lore has always been film. With that said, I have always been drawn to movies based on books. Interview with the Vampire based on the Anne Rice novel and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust based on the novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, are two of my favorites. I recall staying home sick from school in the early 2000s watching Vampire Hunter D for the umpteenth time. I paused on a favorite scene and decided to draw the still, copying exactly what I saw on the screen. When I wrote about the experience in the journal I had to keep for art class, my teacher commented that I had “experienced the healing power of art.” I’ve returned to this thought many times throughout my life, the idea that art can heal. And now with that connective tissue, I forever equate vampire movies as a kind of magic medicine.

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BPL News & Information Recommendations

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library

by Youth Librarian Kelly

Did you know that Hispanic Heritage Month first began in 1968, but it only lasted for one week? Then in 1988, it was expanded to a whole month. September 15 is of special significance because many countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – celebrate their independence. Throughout the month and beyond, it’s a great time to learn more about the traditions, history, and contributions of people of Hispanic and Latin American descent.

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Recommendations

Book Spotlight

by Public Service Associate Juliana

One of the many wonderful things about  working at the library is that not only do we give recommendations but we often receive them. My TBR list is always growing, and I’m constantly discovering new authors to read based on what patrons are reading and enjoying. Most recently a patron recommended to me the 2012 novel Heft by Liz Moore. She liked it so much that when she returned it she hoped to find more books written by Moore, as well as read-alike authors and titles. 

Have you experienced something similar? Is there an author or book that really struck a chord with you? The staff here at BPL can help. Come find us. We love these types of questions and conversations. For a truly tailored experience, you might consider signing up for Personalized Picks where we select titles and put them on hold for you.

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Recommendations staff favorites

Board and Tabletop Games

by Public Service Associate Luke

I have spent countless hours playing board games with friends and family. We have played everything from backstabbing sabotage to cooperative adventures, and playing these games has created new ways for my friends and I to entertain ourselves. Likewise, board game nights with my family have allowed for all of us to get closer. Some games will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and some might make you very angry, but it’s all in the name of great fun. As the weather gets cooler, board games are a great way to hang out with your people of choice and enjoy the coming fall evenings. This list presents some game options that are more than the typical Monopoly and Candyland, and I recommend all of them as part of a great game night. 

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Recommendations staff favorites

Dance Fever!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

Florence + the Machine’s newest release, Dance Fever, might just be my favorite album of 2022. I first heard the song titled “My Love” one morning in mid May while getting ready for work, and I feel like I haven’t stopped dancing since. And I’ll tell you – after a little research – this turns out to be a very suitable response. 

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Recommendations

Back to School ✏️

by Public Service Associate Hannah

Where did summer go!? Hopefully into some wonderful memories. Back-to-school season always gets me thinking about just how many materials and resources the library has to assist educators  and learners of all ages. From study spaces and curated teaching collections to college dorm cookbooks and test prep tomes, we have so much school spirit it’s spooky!  Well, that just might be all the dark academia novels talking…  Allow me to share some of my back-to-school book recommendations for Pre-K to Ph.D.  

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Recommendations

Favorite Foreign Films

by Public Service Associate Luke

When Bong Joon-Ho, the Korean director, was accepting his Best Picture award for Parasite, he stated that the win would hopefully show audiences that they could get over the “one-inch barrier of subtitles” and have their worlds opened to entirely new stories and creative insight. Admittedly, I once had to overcome this hurdle myself, but ever since I began exploring foreign films, I have found some of my favorite movies. I learned how samurai movies created the “lone wolf” trope that American westerns popularized. I discovered darkly psychological thrillers that inspired the likes of Fincher, and I experienced the original martial arts movies that Tarantino has since emulated. Going international for your film viewing leads to some artistic, beautifully crafted, and deeply philosophical movies, with some of my personal favorites listed in this blog.

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