Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Celebrate Pi Day with Pizza!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

“Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. Pi Day is an annual opportunity for math enthusiasts to recite the infinite digits of Pi, talk to their friends about math, and eat pie.” (PiDay.org)

I’m not really a math person, but I’m definitely a pizza person. This Pi Day I suggest a BYOP party! Yep, you read that right. It’s like BYOB except with pizza. A dear friend of mine once threw a party where she invited everyone to bring their favorite pizza from their favorite pizza place to share with everyone. BYOP. Essentially a pizza potluck, plentiful in both variety and quantity. I can’t get over what a great idea this is. Pizza is often a matter of convenience as well as taste preference. BYOP is a way to get to try some of the best that may be outside your normal range.

If you were looking for a way to celebrate Pi Day, look no further. I quizzed my co-workers with the following pizza related questions:

  1. What’s your favorite pizza place? (Or top three or top five. Lists welcome!)
  2. A detail or two about what makes it so great
  3. What’s your go-to order?
  4. Do you have a favorite pizza scene from a book or movie?
  5. Additionally, if there’s a book or movie with “pizza” in the title that we should know about, please share.

The email thread that followed turned into what felt like a real party! We uncovered crowd pleasers, hidden gems, local spots, and some that are positively road trip worthy! Maybe you celebrate with a whole pie or just a slice. Maybe you are lactose intolerant and celebrate with a pizza-themed movie or book. Maybe you let nostalgia be your guide. Maybe you feel inspired to host a pizza party. Make it a potluck! Unlike a math test, with pizza there are no wrong answers. 

Owen

  1. For Bexley pizza it’s Anthony’s, but my all-time favorite pizza is at the First and Last Tavern in Hartford, CT.
  2. Anthony’s is just solid thin-crust pizza close to my apartment and you really can’t beat that. First and Last means a lot to my family, especially for my dad who grew up eating it. We always try to go there whenever we’re in Hartford.
  3. I like the Margherita at Anthony’s and the clam pizza at First and Last.
  4. In Breaking Bad, when Walter White throws the pizza on the roof of his home. Just an iconic scene.
  5. Pizza: A Global History by Carol Helstosky. Pizza has such cultural significance that I found tracing its history in this book to be fascinating and informative.

Hannah

  1. DiCarlo’s Pizza
  2.  My family originates from Steubenville where my then-teenage parents enjoyed many a date night at the original DiCarlo’s location. This “Ohio Valley-style” pizza with its crisp crust and cold cheese sends me back to summers at grandma’s house. And with locations now going strong here in Columbus, it’s sweet to hear my parents reminiscing as they carry on the tradition of enjoying it while it’s still hot right there in the parking lot.
  3. Pepperoni and cheese, preferably on corner pieces. 
  4. The Princess Diaries, Garry Marshall’s 2001 adaptation of the must-read YA series by Meg Cabot. Mia (Anne Hathaway) sends her crush/friend an apology pizza with “sorry” spelled out in M&M’s. I can very much get behind this custom!
  5. Remember the pizza rat meme? Michael Garland’s Pizza Mouse took up the story and gave it a happy ending. Also, Pizza Quest: My Never-Ending Search for the Perfect Pizza by Peter Reinhart because food history books mix all my favorite things into one.

Amanda

  1. Ange’s Whitehall
  2. The thin crust compliments that flavorful sauce and the nice, good quality toppings they use. Their long-running, close-by, family-owned location and good hours have made them a staple for both Kenny and I’s families for our entire lives, so eating it is a little square slice of nostalgia!
  3. For pizza, it’s always an Ange’s combination (pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, green peppers, and sausage), but I’m also a fan of their meatball subs (which I add mushrooms to) and their chef salads!
  4. Definitely the scene of PJ and Max eating pizza in A Goofy Movie. The way that cheese stretches always makes me want a super cheesy pizza.
  5. Pizza! A Slice of History by Greg Pizzoli is a cute little non-fiction picture book with all sorts of cheesy (ha!) details about everyone’s favorite food. The art is really great in it, too!

Jen

  1. 🍕 Massey’s 🍕 Terita’s 🍕 Lima, Ohio’s own Fat Jack’s Pizza (which has a theme song I am available to rap for you personally at any given moment)
  2. Pizza is the great commonality amongst human people who attend our morning huddles (and other humans also, I suppose). 
  3. There is really no pizza I will not try. But I do love m’peps. 
  4. Turtle Power!
  5. Mystic Pizza

Kelly

  1. Eagle’s Pizza in New Albany, Minelli’s over by Hilliard, The Purple Monkey in my hometown South Charleston
  2. At Eagle’s we really enjoy their chicken BBQ pizza whereas at Minelli’s we love their Hawaiian. We also like to stop by Handel’s for ice-cream (if we still have room, which of course for ice-cream we will). Both have great crusts, sauce and toppings. Purple Monkey adds salt to the bottom of their crusts that make it extra delicious, and they have ice-cream –I’m sensing a theme here.  
  3. Mushrooms all day every day.
  4. Pizza the Hut from Spaceballs! Cracks me up every time. Follow up-So I thought it was a pizza but in “We Bare Bears” they do a spoof of the viral pizza rat video only instead of pizza it’s a bagel. It still reminds me of pizza though.
  5. Pizza!: An Interactive Recipe Book by Lotta Nieminen. It’s an interactive board book that’s sure to engage toddlers.

Josh

  1. Flyer’s and Panzera’s are my favorites, but I’m not too picky.
  2. Flyer’s for the cup and char pepperoni and Panzera’s because it’s close to me and their website is pure art
  3. No frills pepperoni is my go-to order.
  4. The pizza scene in Home Alone is so chaotic. That was the first thing that came to mind.

Autumn

  1. Pizza Hut
  2. I just want the stuffed crust. I didn’t realize not all pizza places offer stuffed crust until I moved and didn’t have a local Pizza Hut.
  3. Stuffed crust and black olive.  
  4. I’d probably go with the pizza scene in the first Home Alone movie, but outside of movies, I always think of this 1980s commercial. It played on every single pirated VHS Disney movie I watched as a child.

Peter

  1. Adriatico’s, Jett’s and Yellow Brick are my favorite local places. (Ohio pizza is terrible in general – I’m willing to have a long debate about this if anyone cares to engage). 
  2. Adriatico’s is about quantity, Jett’s is the turbo crust, and Yellow Brick is a cool place to visit.
  3. Pep or veggies, but never sausage. I’m also a fan of anchovies, but that usually gets vetoed. 
  4. Home Alone was the first scene that came to mind, but also this Mary Kate & Ashely special from my childhood. I may or may not still sing this song whenever I have p-i-z-z-a.

Heidi

  1. Borgata’s Pizza Cafe
  2. New York style – good chewy edge crust and thin underneath the topping- just perfect
  3. Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable or Pesto Chicken – But a good pepperoni will not be turned down!
  4. Fast times at Ridgemont High – pizza delivered to the classroom
  5. Titles:  Mystic Pizza, Licorice Pizza – top of mind 

Julie

  1. There is only one pizza. Grandma’s Pizza, at the corner of Parkview Road and St. Route 29 in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. This was the pizza of every after-sports dinner event, slumber party, Friday night, etc. It was perfect. Perfect hot. Perfect warm. Perfect stone cold with a can of diet mountain dew at 8:00 am in the morning.
  2. Thicker crust than Donatos, bigger square cuts than Donatos. People always found the money for Grandma’s after a long hard day ending in “we aren’t fixing dinner.” Words do not describe the mouthfeel of this pizza. If I am a very good girl, or manage to sneak into Heaven, Grandma’s Pizza will be there, and I will be able to eat it. The longtime manager was a teacher for Mechanicsburg Schools for 40 + years. She worked nights and weekends at the shop. Everyone loved her. If you got her as her 6th grade teacher at the end of the school year, she walked us down to Grandma’s in the late morning and we were all allowed to make our own pizza for lunch for free. The warm pizza pressed up against the roof of my mouth, I’ll take that memory to my grave.
  3. Pepperoni

Beth

  1. Mary’s Pizza in Lisbon, Ohio. For folks from the area, I’d venture to say it’s got a bit of a cult following. (IYKYK) It was founded by a woman named Mary (obviously) who was the daughter of Italian immigrants. She started selling pizzas out of her garage in the early ’60s and with the help of her grandsons, expanded the venture into a formal business. Her family still runs the restaurant today. 
  2. It’s a bit hard to describe, and I haven’t had pizza quite like it anywhere else. I usually prefer a thinner crust, but this crust is thick and crunchy. Their original sauce is a meat sauce, but I always get their marinara. It’s quite sweet, but not too sweet. The best part though? The cheese. They use freshly shredded provolone, and always A LOT of it. 
  3. For any other pizza, I usually do an assortment of veggies (spinach, bell pepper, and tomato are some of my faves). If it’s Mary’s pizza though, marinara sauce and plain cheese is the best way to go. If you do decide to get toppings here, keep in mind that they put them under the cheese, not on top. (Are they still toppings?)
  4. The Home Alone scenes, of course. The scene with the family is great, as is the one where he scares the pizza delivery guy…”A lovely cheese pizza, just for me.”

Luke

  1. Yellow Brick Pizza, followed by OH Pizza and Brew (although Pizza and Brew has the best wings in Columbus), followed by the boring and traditional but great Columbus-style pizza from JT’s. Caveat: I am gluten free which means for a pizza place to rank on my list it needs to have gluten-free crusts available.
  2. Yellow Brick started as my favorite with their location in Olde Town East, which had the perfect pizza atmosphere: brick (yellow), no huge seating area, giant ovens warming the place, street corner location, people coming in drunk from the bars around, workers yelling out the orders in that very specific pizza parlor jargon, and they have beautiful thick crust that comes with garlic dipping sauce (also a must if you want to make it on my list). They have since moved from that location into the East Market. Their 2nd location in Franklinton is also great. Low lighting, plenty of drinks, quiet area so you get the exact opposite (in a good way) from the other location. The bartenders there are super friendly so you can hang with them and chat while you wait for your pizza. It’s also close to the river and parks so you can grab your slice and sit by the water.
  3. I’m a simple man so give me plenty of cheese and pep and I’m all set.
  4. Literally any scene from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Specifically, Raphael holding a pizza slice with his sai. Or, when Master Splinter is enticing the boys with his detailed description of the tasty, gooey, every-cheese-available pizza, while they must maintain focus and balance in meditation. Do The Right Thing doesn’t really have one pizza scene so much as the whole movie, given that the main character delivers pizza, which is what drives the plot. If you need one scene though, it’s when Giancarlo Esposito’s character yells at the pizza parlor owners for not having any famous Black Americans on his celebrity wall. 
  5. Licorice Pizza is a great movie. Never seen Mystic Pizza but I’m sure you’ll get that suggested plenty.

Debbie

  1. Rubino’s, Pizza Plus, Fibonacci’s at Studio 35
  2. Rubino’s Pizza is my very favorite with its slightly spicy tomato sauce, thin crust and crisp pepperonis. I grew up in Berwick but even so Rubino’s has always felt like my neighborhood pizza place. I also love the old school feel inside Rubino’s pizzeria (cash only and they even have a pay phone). It’s nice that right next door is the amazing pizza of Pizza Plus. Their margherita pizza is the perfect combination of basil, cheese, tomato and just a pop of garlic. When Studio 35 changed their pizza supplier I was aghast but then I tried their new pizza.  The new pizzas are delicious (if a little on the small size) with interesting toppings and flavor combos.  I tried the Fig-a-ma-jig (fig, goat cheese and veggie) and it became my favorite there.  But the fallback is always my personal favorite of Pepperoni and Pineapple.
  3. Pepperoni, Margherita, Fig-a-ma-jig or Pepperoni and Pineapple
  4.  As far as favorite cinematic pizza scenes I think the heroic if slightly spacey pizza guy, Argyle, from Stranger Things Season 4 tops the list for memorable scenes involving pizza. In his Surfer Boy Pizza van Argyle sweeps in and saves the day a couple of times and conveys calm, cool and confusion in equal measure. The sweet Mexican indie film Duck Season has two friends bonding over pizza on their last day together before one of them moves away.  It has great, believable dialogue and fun hijinks and a slightly exasperated pizza delivery guy. The documentary The Rock-afire Explosion is an affectionate look at the animatronic band at Showbiz Pizza. Chuck E. Cheese was the more successful pizza place but many folks in the documentary say that the Rock-afire Explosion was the superior animatronic band. I love quirky documentaries about strange, niche passions – there is something so touching about it.
  5.  Pizza Girl: a novel by Jean Kyoung Frazier
Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Best of 2022: Video Games

by Public Service Associate Owen

I love cats, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to move and explore like a cat. Stray, a game that takes place from the third person perspective of a cat the player controls, gets about as close as you can get to that feline feeling. From darting through narrow passageways and leaping to and from platforms, to bounding up walls and obstacles and scurrying between shuffling feet, Stray really makes you feel like a cat! And it’s a wonderful experience. The main gameplay focuses on solving puzzles to progress the story, but I honestly had the most fun just running around being a cat. You can sleep like a cat, meow for anyone to listen, nuzzle up against strangers who all react to you in different ways, or do my absolute favorite thing: knock objects off of ledges. The environment the game is set in – a tightly-crammed walled city populated by robots – is the perfect space to explore as a cat. It may not have the most moving story or the most exciting gameplay, but at the end of the day it’s a lot of fun to run around the confines of the city as a cat, which is why it has to be one of my favorites of 2022.

  • Raft

Raft is an open-world survival game, and it’s an underrated gem. You start on a 2×2 raft in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks, with nothing but a hook to throw and collect materials with. It’s then up to the player to survive, craft new items, expand their raft, and explore the vast ocean for the game’s storyline. Exploring in Raft is a lot of fun, and since your raft is always moving there’s always somewhere new to go. The game is unapologetic about trapping you on your raft with no context, but slowly figuring out the story bit by bit as you discover new areas makes for a satisfying gameplay experience. Where Raft truly excels is the co-op mode, as surviving on the open ocean is a lot more fun when you’re marooned with a friend. You’ll argue about where to voyage to next, what new items to craft, and how the raft should be designed and upgraded, but it is a lot more fun than going it alone! If you enjoy survival games, especially co-op ones, then I’d highly recommend Raft. Just watch out for the sharks if you decide to go for a swim!

Elden Ring is an action-based role playing game from From Software. Combat, exploration, and character customization are the main features of this game, and it delivers in spades in all three. The most impressive facet of Elden Ring is the map – it’s massive and immense, and the areas of it vary greatly. From large grassy plains dotted with ancient ruins to undead wastelands, there is so much to explore and each area feels intricately connected to the last. The game also features story and lore from A Song and Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin, so Game of Thrones fans will feel at home. 

Much like the Dark Souls series of games that it is based on, Elden Ring is a very difficult game. You will struggle mightily against all manner of bosses and creatures, and will often fail multiple times in a row. It takes practice, dedication, and all manner of items and equipment to overcome the obstacles in your way. This may not sound like a fun game, but the empowering feeling of overcoming what is in front of you is especially satisfying in Elden Ring. When you take down a boss, you really feel like you’ve earned it, and it is this feeling that makes Elden Ring so addictive. With a breathtaking world to explore, a limitless amount of character customization, thrilling combat, and underrated story, It’s a game that is truly epic in scope. No other game from 2022 feels as immense as Elden Ring, and it is this that sets it apart from others. If you can learn to enjoy the challenge, then Elden Ring is absolutely a must-own.

Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Best of 2022: Music

by Tech Librarian Josh

  • Madison Cunningham – Revealer | CD
    • Sometimes I find a musician who releases such an amazing album that I feel required to listen to all of their subsequent albums. Madison Cunningham released Who Are You Now in 2019 and I was hooked. You can imagine my excitement when she announced Revealer would be released in 2022. The barebones of her songwriting feels familiar and entrenched in 60s or 70s pop, but especially with this album she takes some big swings in terms of arrangement and production. You’ll hear it in this song Sunshine Over the Counter, with its bubbly arrangement made up of woodwind instruments, guitar with these otherworldly effects on and this perpetual rhythm that pushes the song forward.
  • Wilco – Cruel Country | CD
    • Wilco has become somewhat of an institution at this point. They’ve been playing their brand of indie, singer songwriter, alternative rock for almost three decades. For their newest double album they lean into country as a musical style as well as making America the subject of this album, which I think is very clever. A rarity these days: it was recorded with the whole band playing live in the studio and the song I’m highlighting today Falling Apart (Right Now) has a lyric I’m very fond of “Don’t you fall apart while I’m falling apart.”
  • Natalia Lafourcade – De Todas Las Flores
    • A friend recommended Natalia Lafourcade (la-four-ca-day) to me recently and I was sad to say I’d never heard any of her music. She’s a singer-songwriter from Mexico who has been releasing albums and winning awards for the last 20 years. What hit me first was her dynamic voice. She has this way of luring me in with a hushed lyric (that I don’t understand by the way because it’s in Spanish) and then punching me in the face with a beautiful belting tone. Parts of the record, as you’ll hear in the title track, pull from bossa nova which is a soft spot for me, with Jobim-esque melodies, Sergio Mendes like arrangements, and certified Astrud Gilberto coolness.
  • Julian Lage – View with a Room | CD
    • Lastly, Julian Lage’s new album View with a Room is another great jazz trio release with amazing musicians. I’m very fond of the drummer Dave King who has a unique style and sound I don’t hear often. The headliner is obviously Julian Lage and he is, without a doubt, one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. He has vaulted himself with the likes of  Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Django Reinhardt, and Pat Matheny in his relatively short career. It’s all on showcase in their tune, Chavez.
Categories
Recommendations staff favorites Youth Services

Best of 2022: Youth

by Youth Services Librarian Amanda

In the youth services spot, we highlighted some of the best new books across a range of ages from this past year.

Early Childhood

The Hair Book by LaTonya Yvette, illustrated by Amanda Jane Jones |print

This beautiful new board book combines adorable art with the presentation of a diverse array of hairstyles and the people who wear them. The bright, contrasting colors are great for babies and their still-developing eyes and the friendly-looking art style is sure to please any little one.

My Parents Won’t Stop Talking by Emma Hunsinger, illustrated by Tillie Wonder |print

This adorable book covers a topic that every little one has experienced at some point: patiently waiting for their adults to finish a conversation. This book is a humorous take on patience and perspective, and has the cutest illustrations, to boot!

Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deepby Charlotte Watson Sherman, illustrated by Geneva Bowers |print / Libby

Mermaid Kenzie is a beautiful meshing of diverse character design and writing forms, beautiful artwork, and an important message. The book, written in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), discusses pollution and its effects on the ocean, as well as what we can do to help, all in the company of the very endearing Kenzie. If you have a mermaid-loving member of the family, this is a great little primer on how we can help our world. 

Sports Heroes: Inspiring Tales of Athletes Who Stood Up and Out by Mia Cassany and Iker Ayestaran

This book details inspiring stories of athletes overcoming social barriers to come out on top in their sport. This is the perfect book for young athletes and covers a diverse range of professional athletes. Ayestaran’s colorful, quirky illustrations are a great addition and help break up the text so that it’s more readable for children of all sorts of different reading levels.

School-Aged

A Taste of Magic by J. Elle |print / Libby

This is the perfect book for fans of the ‘magical school’ genre. Kyana, a young witch attending Park Row Magic Academy, has to navigate the non-magical world outside of the academy. When the school loses funding, she’s told that her options are to attend another academy that is too expensive and across town or to lose her magic forever! Can a combination of her sharp mind and great baking skills save the school? 

A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser |print / Libby

A wonderful entry in the realistic fiction genre, this book follows a pair of biracial sixth-graders who live in a homeless shelter and the bonds they build together. When their place at the shelter is under threat, the pair team up to keep their place, fighting against all odds. This book is well-written with realistic, diverse characters and an impactful story.

Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa |print / Libby

Written by a popular YA author, this book takes all of the wonderful writing and world-building of Kagawa’s other works and puts it in a middle-grade novel! Based on the Disney fandom and the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, this novel follows Shinji as he turns to the group for aid, tries to find out more about the magical guardian that has taken over his body and stop the people trying to take the guardian for themselves.

Teen/YA

We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison |print

A new entry in the wildly popular YA thriller genre. This book explores the social dynamics of community acceptance, friendship and the dating world all around a hard-to-put-down murder mystery plot. Celeste, a new student, builds a friendship with the town pariah, Vivvy over their mutual love of fanfiction. When they try to play out some of the fiction in real life, Celeste ends up kissing the most popular boy in school… and he ends up dead immediately after. Can these two figure out what happened?

Once Upon A K-Prom by Kat Cho |print / Libby

K-pop is huge these days, and whether they’re a fan of BTS or a BLACKPINK enthusiast, there’s no better book to enthrall your local teen K-pop stan than Once Upon a K-Prom. Elena is a teen struggling with finding her path in life, but things start to come together when her former-best-friend-turned-K-pop-star asks her to prom. Will Elena take this chance on a new, glitzy path?

Loveless by Alice Oseman |print / Libby

Alice Oseman is a hugely popular YA writer, and this latest entry of hers is right on par with her other phenomenal works. A teen novel all about romance… that is also not about romance. As Georgia begins her college career, she realizes something about herself: she has never had a crush on anyone, ever. Follow along with her as she navigates what this means for her life right alongside dealing with all the new experiences at the university. 

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao |print / Libby

Technically, this was published at the end of 2021, but with this book receiving both a sequel and a movie adaptation soon, we couldn’t leave it off the list! The country of Hauxia has been under attack by alien creatures called hunduns for hundreds of years and the people have managed to take a stand against them with giant robots (called Chrysalises) crafted from their husks. When Zetian’s sister dies under mysterious circumstances while in the piloting program, she joins herself to enact revenge on the pilot who did it. The following story has intrigue, action, giant robot fights, and a romance subplot like no other. 

Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Best of 2022: Movies

by Public Services Associate Luke

There were plenty of new releases and great films that came to theatres or found their home on the various streaming platforms, but I will be discussing a few of what I think are some of the best this year.

Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Best of 2022: Fiction

By Associate Librarian Debbie

I enjoyed so many wonderful books in 2022!  Here were some of my favorites in no particular order..

Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Best of 2022: Non-Fiction

by Public Services Associate Beth

As we get closer and closer to wrapping up another year, I want to talk about some of my favorite non-fiction books from 2022. Admittedly, this was a difficult task to choose only a couple of books, as I read many excellent books this year. But I chose 3 of my top favorites to share with you here, some you may have heard of, and some that may have flown under the radar. So without further ado…

Categories
Recommendations staff favorites

Let’s Get in the Holiday Spirit!

by Public Service Associate Juliana

I visited my sister in mid November and she already had the Christmas music playing. She said if she starts listening early enough she actually gets to enjoy holiday music. If she waits until after Thanksgiving, it’s December already, and there’s so much running around in December that the music just gets lost.

That same week, with the idea of starting early in order to savor, I began to collect lists and stories from staff of our favorite holiday films and traditions that surround them. The responses flooded in.  

Categories
BPL News & Information staff favorites

Secondhand Treasures

by Public Service Associate Hannah

“A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much a part of the book as its contents.”

~ Matija Strlic, lead scientist behind a 2009 study to find what is behind the smell of old books

It is once again Friends of the Bexley Public Library (FOL) book sale season! This twice-annual event sees the auditorium filled with neat rows of romance novels and science fiction, picture books, biographies, cookbooks, and more. So why would I, someone who already spends my days surrounded by audiobooks, music CDs, and titles that I can borrow for free, visit this facsimile of our book stacks? The allure of the unknown secondhand treasure of course! 

Categories
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.