Category Archives: Books & More

5 Reasons Your Teen Should Join the TeenHQ Discord

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New friends!

Our TeenHQ Discord currently has about 30 active members who love to hangout and meet new teens. They share memes, cute animal pictures, quotes, recipes, favorite movies, music, and even fun historical trivia!

 

Book recommendations!

We have a whole category dedicated to Bookish Talk where teens can share what they’re reading, get recommendations from their friends and favorite teen librarian, take fun bookish quizzes, and hear upcoming book news!

Get creative!

Our #getcrafty and #writing channels are full of teen artwork, photography, original writing and inspirational prompts to keep them creating!

Game play!

Are your teens interested in Dungeons and Dragons? Or maybe video games are more their thing? We host Dungeons and Dragons on our discord two Saturdays a month, and video game tournaments each month too!

Get to know the Teen Librarian!

Miss Jessica monitors our TeenHQ Discord each day (with the help of Mom and Dad bots weeding out any language and mature content) and often likes to join in the discussions (because she’s really still just a teen at heart). She shares craft ideas, writing prompts, her own quirky music tastes, library news, and self-care tips.

So now you’re wondering – how do they join?

Teens who are interested in joining the Discord should fill out the Discord Request form on our website (under Kids & Teens > Teen Programs) or just by clicking here!

 

The Real McCoys

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I don’t know about the rest of you, but this pandemic has certainly stressed me out a bit. When I get stressed out, I generally do one of two things. I either channel surf, or I eat a lot of potato chips. I have found that it’s harder to eat potato chips when you have a remote control in your hand, so that’s a good thing. I also discovered that even with 200+ channels, I couldn’t really find anything that made me totally forget my worries. One day my husband and I were talking about TV shows we remembered watching when we were kids. I mentioned The Real McCoys (1957-1963), but to be perfectly honest, the only thing I remembered about it was that Walter Brennan starred in it. Right there I knew it had to be good because Walter Brennan (1894-1974) was an amazing actor. He won three Academy Awards for Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938), and The Westerner (1940).

My curiosity was piqued. I really wanted to know what this show was about. I looked in Evergreen Indiana, and lo and behold, someone had Season One. I had it transited to my library, checked it out, and took it home to watch it. Who knew Walter Brennan was so incredibly funny? I’ve never laughed this much with any other TV show.

The show is about the McCoy family who inherit a farm in California. Walter Brennan plays Grampa Amos, Richard Crenna is his grandson Luke, and Kathy Nolan plays Luke’s wife, Kate. This is your typical “fish out of water” comedy about a backwoods family from West Virginia who try to fit in in California. Grampa Amos is an old codger with a wheezy voice who is constantly meddling in other people’s affairs. He makes some of the most outrageous, sexist comments that would normally tick me off, but since he always does the right thing in the end, it just ends up being really funny.

For example, Kate decides to earn a little extra money for the family by altering women’s dresses. Grampa Amos convinces Luke that no McCoy man has ever allowed his woman to earn money because McCoy men take care of their women. However, Grampa Amos stands up for Kate when the local tailor threatens her. In another episode, Grampa is told that he is too old to be a volunteer fireman, but when a barn catches fire, the people in the community realize just how much they need his expertise. Every episode was funny, but also had an insightful moral theme. This was truly one of the best TV shows I’ve ever watched. I suspect it was the precursor for other “fish out of water” TV comedies from the 1960’s like The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971), Green Acres (1965-1971), and Petticoat Junction (1963-1970). So if you need a really good laugh, and who doesn’t right now, check out Season One of The Real McCoys.

National Dog Day

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Today is National Dog Day!  National Dog Day celebrates all dogs – mixed breed and pure. The day aims to bring attention the number of dogs that need rescued, as well as celebrate the family and working dogs throughout the country.  What better way to celebrate the day, then with a great book about man’s best friend?  Here are a few titles available at GPL, but we have SO many more as well!  We’d be happy to help you find your favorite dog book!

 

Dog Days
by Jon Katz

In Dog Days, Jon Katz, the squire of Bedlam Farm, allows us to live our dreams of leaving the city for the country, and shares the unpredictable adventure of farm life.

 

 

 

 

James Herriot’s Dog Stories
by James Herriot

James Herriot is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. The warm and joyful memoirs of his life as a country vet in Yorkshire have endeared him to countless readers around the world, and many of his most memorable tales featured man’s best friend.

 

 

 

 

My Patients Like Treats
by Duncan MacVean

Physicians used to make house calls. Today, a few veterinarians still do. Duncan MacVean, DVM, is one such vet. His patients range from cats and dogs to pigs and lizards—each of them a unique personality.

 

 

 

 

DIY for Your Dog
by Rachelle Blondel

Full of handmade goodness meant to be chewed, rummaged in, chased around, and worn proudly, DIY for Your Dog is a treasury of delightful DIY projects to make for your furry companions.

 

 

 

Shaggy Dog Eats
by Christy Bright

In this cookbook, Bright offers 30 of her recipes, all researched and developed in her own kitchen. Try them at home and then look for some rewarding tail-wagging approval!

 

 

Underwater Dogs: Kids Edition
by Seth Casteel

Dive right into this kids edition of the New York Times bestseller! This delightful book features brand new photographs, as well as old favorites, of the cutest canines chasing after their toys.

 

 

Dogs
by Emily Gravett

Gorgeous canines of every shape and size are bounding through this book. Can you choose one dog to love best of all?

 

 

 

*descriptions from goodreads.com

Cooking with Kids

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My kids have always been interested in cooking.  My oldest daughter loves baking.  During the stay at home order, my kids and husband would have cooking competitions. I’ll be honest, they weren’t exactly competitions.  They just wanted an excuse to make some crazy concoctions.  They were very creative and most of what they made was edible.

Check out these cookbooks from our collection to explore cooking with your own kids. I wish my family had these books at home during the stay at home order.

 

 

 

 

 

Mug It!

While we were home, we did check out Mug It! on hoopla.  We made mac & cheese and chocolate chip cookies during the quarantine.

 

 

 

 

 

Cool Sugar-Free Recipes 

I’m always looking for healthy foods that my kids will actually eat.  This book has clear instructions for the recipes and great pictures. The Chocolate Fudge and Flavorful Bread recipes look tasty.  I have said that every tooth in my girls’ mouths is a “sweet tooth.” They LOVE their sweet treats.

 

 

Super Simple Lunches

“Super Simple” is right! There are nine delicious no bake recipes.  This book includes cooking basics, measuring tips, cooking terms, a picture dictionary of tools, and an ingredients list.  The Ham and Cheese Pinwheel recipe has ingredients that can be adjusted to fit everybody.

 

The Math Chef

While this book doesn’t have fancy pictures, it has many math activities to make learning fun.  What better way to explain volume, fractions, and area than with food.  The Superquick Stromboli Slices recipe meets the Boones competition standards. This one calls for frozen dough, but the Boone kids love making their own dough.  This is another recipe that is easily customizable for each member of the family.

 

5 Jane Austen Adaptations You Should Add to Your To-Be-Read List

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I love Jane Austen.  I also love adaptations of classic literature into contemporary storytelling.  When these two things merge, I am usually left a very happy reader.  Just in case you’re a fan of those two things as well, here are 5 Jane Austen adaptations you should consider adding to your to-be-read list.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

“Pembrook Park, Kent, England. Enter our doors as a house guest come to stay three weeks, enjoying the country manners and hospitality–a tea visit, a dance or two, a turn in the park, an unexpected meeting with a certain gentleman–all culminating with a ball and perhaps something more.”  Jane Hayes LOVES Pride and Prejudice.  And she’s also very unlucky in life and love.  Then she gets the wonderful idea to visit a Jane Austen inspired immersive amusement park.  Who wouldn’t want to live in Regency Era England for just a few days?  As one would expect, of a light, fun romantic comedy – hi jinks ensues and Jane finds that the romance she’s looking for might not be in the pages of the book she loves so much.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.” Dr. Trisha Raje is a neurosurgeon who is on the outs with her family after a tragic incident during college.  Determined to get back in the family’s good graces, Trisha agrees to help her sister plan an important dinner party, but that puts her in the path of up-and-coming chef DJ Caine.  It’s no surprise, in a book based on Pride and Prejudice that the two aren’t going to get along, but the friendship that blooms and Trisha’s reconciliation with her family is worth the read.  And who can say no to a Bollywood inspired Austen adapatation? (You can also check out the sequel – Recipe for Persuasion for a new Raje family, Austen-inspired tale.)

Jane of Austin: A Novel of Sweet Tea and Sensibility by Hillary Manton Lodge
Just a few years after their father’s business scandal shatters their lives, Jane and Celia Woodward find themselves forced out of their San Francisco tea shop. The last thing Jane wants is to leave their beloved shop on Valencia Street, but when Celia insists on a move to Austin, Texas, the sisters pack up their kid sister Margot and Jane’s tea plants, determined to start over yet again. But life in Austin isn’t all sweet tea and breakfast tacos. Their unusual living situation is challenging and unspoken words begin to fester between Jane and Celia. When Jane meets and falls for up-and-coming musician Sean Willis, the chasm grows deeper.

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

It’s been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology. Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth–an almost unrecognizable Kai.  A an excellent read if you like a little science-fiction with your Austen.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

Based on the super popular web-series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet tells the story of a college aged Lizzie who starts a video blog as a part of her senior thesis.  She uses the blog to talk about her family and friends, relaying her mother’s desperate attempt to marry off her daughters, her sister Lydia’s precocious ways, and her frustrating interactions with the arrogant William Darcy.  It’s fresh, contemporary, and has the added bonus of being a web-series that you can binge when you’re done!