Hello! Today we’re introducing a new program – Travel Talk. With this Info Cafe program we’ll explore many aspects of travel. Each month we’ll focus on another subject with topics such as where to go, how to research your trip, solo travel, preserving travel memories, road trips plus lots more. We’ll also have a couple of special events including a movie in March and a “worst travel experience” contest later this year. Whether you’re a hard-core adventurer or an armchair traveler, you’ll find something to enjoy!
It’s easy to follow along with the program. Be sure to visit the Info Cafe blog on the second Wednesday of each month when my fellow librarian and Info-Cafe-blogger Michelle and I will introduce and discuss a new topic. If that’s as much as you’d like to do – no problem! We’re happy to have you along! But if you’d like to kick it up a notch, simply comment on the post and/or join in any discussion on that post. We’ll keep track of who comments each month and keep a running total. Anyone who makes a total of eight comments throughout the year (only one comment per month will count toward your total) will receive a small, travel-related prize in December!
In addition, we have passport-size, travel-themed notebooks available for anyone in the Travel Talk program. Simply stop at the customer service desk at any Davenport Library location and ask for a “Travel Talk notebook”. These basic little notebooks can be used to jot quick notes, keep track of your books-to-read list or even your grocery list! I’m planning to use mine to keep notes on any tips and interesting thoughts or suggestions I pick up through the Travel Talk program.
So, are you on-board? (haha – travel humor!) Be sure to stop by the blog again tomorrow when we delve into our first discussion – “Why Travel?”
Time to start saving and doing what you want! Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living a young couple in their 30’s account of how they started investing in their future early on and at one time were even being extremely frugal enough to save 86% of their full-time salaries while working in corporate America. In less than three years Liz (Mrs. Frugalwoods) and her husband Nate were able to save enough to quit their jobs, buy a homestead property in the Vermont woods, leave the city, work from home, and support themselves through their investments and savings by being extremely frugal and thrifty. Throughout the book, the author acknowledges their privileges of both being white middle class Americans and raised by highly educated parents (interested? read more about “The Privilege Of Pursuing Financial Independence“ in her blog). Mrs. Frugalwoods does not curtail the reality of this and how their families and formative years played a key role in their financial education and upbringing ultimately leading to their financial freedom. Her “philosophy is that managing your money wisely enables you to pursue unusual aspirations and opens up a world of options for how to live your life”.
Meet the Frugalwoods is a real account of this small family’s story on their extreme frugality from giving up eating out or to no longer buying that $5.00 cup of specialty coffee from a coffee shop, giving up regular expenses such as make-up and clothing (interested in quitting spending money on clothes…read her clothing ban blog), using what you have or buying second-hand, to making sound economical and budgetary savings all of which are good tips for anyone looking at cutting corners and making the most of their income. Read Elizabeth Willard Thames book and website – blog and learn how you too can start being more frugal and start saving your hard-earned money and turning it into the life of your dreams. Check it out! Learn about investing, saving money and moving yourself closer to greater financial independence.
Have you heard of Hank Green? Hank is the brother of prolific young adult author John Green. Hank is a genius in his own right though: cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow. Hank has branched out into fiction now! In his debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, he has created an intriguing story about a young woman somewhat content in her own peaceful life who becomes an overnight celebrity. Her sudden celebrity is part of a much bigger, stranger, and weirder situation that anyone in the world could possibly comprehend.
April May is stumbling home from work in the wee hours of the morning when she runs into a giant sculpture that seems to have just popped up in the middle of the sidewalk out of nowhere. Delighted – and confused – by this discovery, April does the most logical thing that she can think of: she calls her friend Andy, a local vlogger, and guards this sculpture until he comes with his video equipment. April and Andy decide to make a video with this expertly crafted artwork that she has aptly named Carl. Carl is a glorious piece of craftmanship – a 10-foot-tall Transformer-looking sculpture covered in a suit of samurai armor. After shooting this video, they stumble to their respective homes where Andy uploads the video they shot to YouTube.
Events quickly spiral out of control. The next day April wakes up to a very popular viral video and a rapidly changed life. Andy is understandable overwhelmed as he calls April to report that their Carl isn’t the only Carl. Carls have been discovered in dozens of cities all over the world. They all seemed to have popped up at once with no organization or government claiming ownership of their construction or arrival. April is now considered to be the first person to have had contact with a Carl and thus becomes the center of an immensely intense and ever-growing international media spotlight.
Luckily April has some pretty strong friends and family in her corner. (Whether or not she acknowledges their usefulness is another matter altogether.) These individuals have to fight against April’s growing ego as she believes that she is the only person who could possible figure out the Carl situation. After all, she found the first Carl. April struggles to balance her new fame, old and new relationships, her identity, and concerns over her safety as people quickly realize that the Carls are even more not what the public thinks. April tries to put herself at the forefront of Carl research and becomes even more of the face of the Carl movement as people learn more and more facts about the Carls. People all over the world question the Carls’ existences: why, what, who, etc. April and friends soon realize that the Carls may want something from the people of Earth, but figuring this out may tear them all apart for good.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thingby Hank Green is an impressive and surprisingly relevant read when compared with today’s society. This book takes on issues of social media fame, conversations, and calls to arms. It also talks in great detail about how the world in general, and also people at an individual level, deal with change, fear, and the uncertainty that change can bring. I really enjoyed the way that Green builds April from a nobody to an immensely popular celebrity. That juxtaposition between her former and current selves was fascinating as it really showed the dehumanization and other-worldly qualities the general public thrusts on people in the public eye.
I enjoyed this book! Check it out and let me know what you thought about it in the comments below.
This book is also available in the following format:
r e a d (reed), v. 1. to look at carefully so as to understand the meaning of something written. 2. to occupy oneself seriously with reading or study. 3. to obtain knowledge or learn of something by reading.
It’s January – that means it’s the start of a new Online Reading Challenge! I hope you join us whenever and however you can. As in the past, this is a low-key, no-pressure book club. Each month we’ll explore a new theme through books. You can read old-fashioned paper books or new-fangled ebooks, listen to audio books, even watch relevant movies! Remember, there are no Library Police! Read whatever catches your interest. There is also no penalty for skipping a month or not finishing a book by the end of the month. The goal of our Online Reading Challenge is simply to find great books to read/listen to/movies to watch!
This year the Challenge is called “r e a d” (although yes, movies still count!). I’ve chosen a variety of general subjects, topics that touch on all of us throughout our lives – like family, art, and the world around us. Each month I’ll suggest titles (both fiction and non-fiction) to get you started and there will be displays at each building with even more. The topics can be explored from a variety of angles – serious to light, historical to current events. How you approach each month is entirely up to you! And don’t forget to pick up a bookmark/book log at the library to help you keep track of your reading progress.
So, let’s get started! January’s topic is Medicine.
Everyone has had to deal with the medical field at some point, even if you’re healthy as a horse and rarely need to see a doctor, health and fitness is important to everyone. Titles to read in this subject can vary widely – fiction and non-fiction, light or scary, physical health or mental health, the field is wide open. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
For serious non-fiction, take a look at Bellevue by David Oshinsky about the infamous New York City hosipital or the acclaimed book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which delves into bioethics and informed consent. Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold looks at the devastating “Spanish Influenza” which killed millions. When Breath Becomes Air is written by physician Paul Kalanithi after he discovers he has terminal cancer while In an Instant by Lee Woodruff looks at how traumatic brain injury affects both the individual and their family. Still Alice by Lisa Genova delves into dementia while Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick examines mental health.
It’s not all grim and scary though; books in this subject are often uplifting and optimistic. Try The Midwife by Jennifer Worth about young nurses working in 1950s London as midwives to the poor. Or read something from the Irish Doctor series by Patrick Taylor about a country doctor living in a small village of eccentric personalities. And James Herriot’s charming All Creatures Great and Small books, set in Yorkshire, England never disappoint (hey, I know he’s a vet treating animals but it’s still medicine!) If you prefer to be kept awake at night, reach for Robin Cook’s medical thrillers.
I’m going to read My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira which is about a young woman who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Set during the Civil War, she must overcome the prejudices against women in medicine while working to help the thousands of wounded soldiers. The time period and story line both sound interesting to me and I’m looking forward to reading it!
Now, what about you? Will you be joining us this year? What will you read in January?
The Davenport Library will be closed on December 31 and January 1 in observance of the New Year holiday. All of our locations will reopen on Wednesday January 2 with regular business hours, Main (321 Main Street) 9:00am to 8:00pm, Fairmount (3000 Fairmount Street) 9:00am to 5:30pm and Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) noon to 8:00pm.
However, every month our library holds a craft program called Craft Cafe at our Fairmount branch, and this month it was my turn. And I do not do things halfway. The first craft idea – a DIY hanging notepad – was ruled out due to it being far too complicated. So, what next? After to some intense Pinterest and craft blog research, I found what seemed to be an easy, cute craft: mason jar snow globes. Glue some little trees on the lid, fill the jar with water, glycerin (to make the water thicker) and glitter, screw the lid on, and ta-da! Instant winter craft success!
Eh, not so much.
First, the supplies. Glycerin apparently comes in many forms – you’ve got your blocks of solid glycerin for soap making, tiny bottles for icing, vegetable glycerin, glycerin that’s sold in drugstores, and on and on. I settled on the icing glycerin because that was the only one I could find. Then, on to glue. Did you know there’s a lot of glue out there? Well, there is. Walls and walls of glue. You say you just want crazy glue? Ha! Here are 147 varieties! Choose wisely, young crafter.
Then glitter, which I was not surprised to find that there were so many different choices. “But glitter is glitter, right?” I thought, not hearing the faint but haunting laughter of all the crafters that had come before me.
One of the craft blogs I had read suggested that the trees be treated with Mod Podge before putting them in water to hold their color. No problem there, I already had some of that.
Now, with all my supplies, I sat down to make my first snow globe. Everything went smoothly. Pasting the trees with Mod Podge was tricky and weird, but I always follow the directions. I had two types of glitter, and after taking a vote from other librarians present, I settled on a mix of silver and iridescent glitter. None of the blogs gave an exact amount of glycerin to add, so I guessed, which made me very nervous as an always-follow-the-directions person. The glue held strongly and it turned out well. Crafting success!
Happy little trees!
Until the next day.
Not so happy little trees
What once was a happy green pine tree in crystal clear water had become a sickly yellow. And the water looked like, well, use your imagination. I also detected a small leak.
I was panicked. There was no way I could do this craft, and time was running out! After even more research, I found that 1) I had used the the wrong kind of Mod Podge (there’s an aerosol, apparently) and 2) this is a common problem as the mini trees are often not colorfast. As for the leak, it turned out the thin iridescent glitter had worked its way into the seal of the jar lid.
Back to the craft store! I picked up a can of the correct sealant and found a kind of tree that was plastic and, in theory, would not lose color. I also found another kind of glitter that would hopefully not break the jar’s seal.
My second attempt did not go as smoothly as the first. Because the trees were plastic, they did not adhere to the jar lid as quickly as the first trees, which had a wooden base. So, as soon as I turned the jar over, the trees floated freely. But, at least they didn’t loose any color.
Zero-g trees?
I tried a different glue, which seemed to work, but smelled horribly and needed 20 minutes to cure. Thinking that I would have to use the trees with the wooden bases, I sprayed them all with the aerosol Mod Podge a little too enthusiastically, causing great concern about the odor. The smell did not dissipate from the trees, so I became worried about using them at all.
I mentioned that I am not a crafter, right?
At this point my eternally patient coworker, Ann, concerned for my sanity, suggested another, much easier craft (she’s a very talented artist, by the way.) But I am a very, very stubborn person and I had invested too much time in this craft to just give up. After recounting my tale to my brother, he suggested a kind of glue that is both water activated and water resistant. Could something like that actually exist?!
So I settled in for one more try. Plastic trees, water activated glue, glycerin, chunky glitter and water. You could cut the tension with an X-ACTO knife.
As they say on Pinterest, NAILED IT!
It is with great relief that I can say that December’s Craft Cafe was a success, and I emerged mostly unscathed and a little wiser to the ways of the crafter. If you’d like to make your own mason jar snow globe, check below for how we did ours! And if you like to join us for our next Craft Cafe in January, click here to register. They’re doing pinecone flowers – I hear they are far more relaxing!
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Mason Jar Snow Globes
What You’ll Need:
An 8 or 16 oz mason jar meant for canning. My final snow globe was made in an 8 oz jar.
Some plastic trees or other small plastic decorative items that will fit on the jar lid. Pick something that appears to be water-resistant.
Water activated/water resistant glue – we used clear Gorilla Glue.
Liquid glycerin – we used glycerin meant to be used in icing, so look in the cake decorating section. It comes in small 2 oz bottles.
Glitter – find one that’s a mix of small and medium sized glitter
Twine or ribbon
What To Do:
Disassemble the mason jar.
Glue the trees to the underside of the lid.
Sprinkle a small amount of water onto the surface to activate the glue. Set it aside for about 5 minutes.
Fill the mason jar with water almost to the top.
For an 8 oz jar, add 4 caps of glycerin. Double that for a 16 oz jar.
Add as much glitter as you want, stirring periodically to mix. If the glitter is falling too quickly, add more glycerin.
Check on your trees. If the glue is tacky, slowly place the lid on to the jar and screw the collar on tightly.
Flip the jar over slowly. If your trees stay put, hooray! If they come loose, turn the jar back over and take the lid off. Add more glue to the trees and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Make sure the seal on the lid is clear of glitter before putting it back on.
Tie some twine or ribbon around the lid for a “I know exactly what I’m doing” look!
How did your reading go in December? “Present Time” proved to be a little tricky, didn’t it? The topic was pretty general and the time of year was busy, not an ideal formula. I hope you found and enjoyed something good to round out our Challenge year.
I did well – I read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. If you are a fan of quick-moving, amusing yet thoughtful books, or if you’re a fan of “The Big Bang Theory”, you’re going to like this book.
Don Tillman lives his life by precise, strict rules and schedules. Any deviation can lead to anxiety and panic and he has trouble reading social cues and emotions. He has found a niche where he’s comfortable – a professor of genetics at a prestigious university – and a group of friends (well, two friends) who accept him as he is.
Although Don is perfectly happy, he decides that he would like a wife and thus begins the Wife Project. Don creates an impossibly detailed questionnaire with the intention of weeding out undesirable candidates. Of course, no one can meet Don’s impossible standards. As a joke, one of Don’s friends (it’s questionable how good a friend this person is!) sends Rosie his way without telling either that a) Don is looking for the impossibly perfect wife and b) Rosie is not looking for a date. A great deal of amusing chaos ensues, which ultimately forces Don to look at his life and his choices.
I found that Don strongly reminded me of Sheldon on the television series “The Big Band Theory”. A somewhat lovable genius but good heavens, he can be annoying. The book is also surprisingly thoughtful. It is framed as a comedy about one man’s peculiar personality, but while doing so, it also examines how we observe others and how we think about ourselves. Are we always honest with ourselves, or do we hide behind excuses and stories? A fun book with lots to say.
That wraps up the 2018 Online Reading Challenge. I hope you enjoyed our reading year! And I hope you’ll join us next year for the 2019 edition for another year of exploring a variety of subjects through books. Be sure to visit again on January 2 for all of the details and a list of Challenge topics. It’s going to be another great year!
Until then, have a great holiday! See you in 2019!
Rebecca Makkai’s latest novel, The Great Believers is one the New York Time’s 10 Best Books of 2018. Recently, I heard speak Makkai when she gave a reading at Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City.
Her novel explores a time in Chicago’s history that is little documented, according to the author. A native of Chicago, she spoke of the difficulty of finding primary and secondary sources about the AIDS crisis in her hometown. New York and San Francisco were much more likely to be the subjects and settings of the print and film record of the time. So, of necessity, she ended up interviewing survivors, healthcare workers, caregivers, residents of Boystown, as well as doing other research for several years. She attributes the emotional resonance of the book to the fact that she was forced to seek out and talk to people, getting the telling detail and anecdote, rather than just reading about the crisis.
The book’s thread is Fiona, the sister of an early victim of AIDS – before it even had a name. As a young girl, she appears in both the eighties portion of the book as well as the sections dealing with the more immediate past. These chapters are set in 2015 when Fiona goes to Paris to try to connect with an estranged daughter, now involved in a cult. Makkai weaves Fiona through the lives of the principal characters of the book; for example, when she’s in Paris, Fiona stays with a now-famous photographer who chronicled the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
I found the chapters set in the eighties by far the most compelling. The main character here is Yale Tishman, who is a development director for an art gallery. His personal story is shadowed by the fear he feels about every cough or fever – every possible sign of illness. He and his friends try to deal with the mysterious and little understood disease in different ways. Told from Yale’s point of view, you get a small inkling of the paranoia and confusion of the time.
Because Yale is involved in obtaining an art collection owned by an expat living in Paris of the twenties, the novel finds parallels with that time and place. The book’s title refers to a line by F. Scott Fitzgerald about the generation that was decimated by World War I and the flu epidemic that followed. After this time period, artists and others who didn’t necessarily fit into mainstream society gravitated to Paris of the twenties: “We were the great believers. I have never cared for any men as much as for these who felt the first springs when I did, and saw death ahead, and were reprieved—and who now walk the long stormy summer.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, “My Generation”
The Davenport Library will be closed on December 24 and 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday. All of our locations will reopen on Wednesday December 26 with regular business hours, Main (321 Main Street) 9:00am to 8:00pm, Fairmount (3000 Fairmount Street) 9:00am to 5:30pm and Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) noon to 8:00pm.
Winter is the highpoint of hygge-ness. Not surprisingly, the Nordic countries really know how to embrace the cold weather and to actively celebrate it. Appreciating nature in all its discomfort, cold, and beauty is an integral part of the concept. After all, we’re feathering our indoor nest because it’s so cold and dark outside. In the last few years, the English-language publishing world has embraced books about hygge (the warmth of simple pleasures), lagom (a balance of not too little, not too much), lykke (happiness) and all things Scandinavian. Cooking, baking, snuggling into knitted afghans and sweaters, and reading books about hygge are all elements of creating a world of coziness in your own home.
A related concept is fika, the Swedish tradition of coffee and carbs. Hot drinks and baked goods are especially relevant during the cold winter months, This exemplifies the Scandinavian enjoyment of life’s small pleasures and an easy way to socialize and connect with co-workers, friends and family.
Hello! Today we’re introducing a new program – Travel Talk. With this Info Cafe program we’ll explore many aspects of travel. Each month we’ll focus on another subject with topics such as where to go, how to research your trip, solo travel, preserving travel memories, road trips plus lots more. We’ll also have a couple of special events including a movie in March and a “worst travel experience” contest later this year. Whether you’re a hard-core adventurer or an armchair traveler, you’ll find something to enjoy!
