Month: April 2025

Sourdough Stories at Your Library

By Victoria Lafean, Adult Programming Librarian

National Sourdough Bread Day is recognized on April 1, 2025. It appreciates one of the world’s oldest leavened breads. In the “Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology,” Michael Gaenzle writes: “One of the oldest sourdough breads dates from 3700 BCE and was excavated in Switzerland, but the origin of sourdough fermentation likely relates to the origin of agriculture in Egypt several thousand years earlier.” Sourdough bread has the history of being one of the most ancient forms of bread, and from its origins it seems to be the standard method of breadmaking for most of human history. Let’s celebrate it with baking your own loaf! The Manhattan Public Library has you covered with these bread baking books available for check out.

All shelf locations and book descriptions quoted in this list can be found in the Manhattan Public Library catalog located at https://catalog.manhattan.lib.ks.us/polaris/default.aspx. 

“Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads”

by Ohara, Bonnie, author.

“Flour, yeast, water, and salt, even with the simplest of ingredients, making homemade bread can be a daunting task if you’ve never done it before. From total scratch to your first batch, ‘Bread Baking for Beginners’ offers simple, user-friendly tutorials and recipes to mix, knead, and enjoy freshly baked loaves at home. Bonnie Ohara, a self-taught baker who runs a micro-bakery out of her own kitchen, preps home cooks with clear explanations of the bread making process and basic techniques.”

 

“Artisan Sourdough Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Handcrafted Bread with Minimal Kneading”

by Raffa, Emilie, author, photographer.

“Many bakers speak of their sourdough starter as if it has a magical life of its own, so it can be intimidating to those new to the sourdough world; fortunately, with ‘Artisan Sourdough Made Simple,’ Emilie Raffa removes the fear and proves that baking with sourdough is easy, and can fit into anyone’s schedule! Any new baker is inevitably hit with question after question. Emilie has the answers. As a professionally trained chef and avid home baker, she uses her experience to guide readers through the science and art of sourdough.”

 

“Baking Bread with Kids: Trusty Recipes for Magical Homemade Bread”

by Latham, Jennifer (Baker), author.

“Making truly excellent bread can be so simple and fun, and any kid can learn the art and science of mixing, folding, proofing, and baking. Each recipe is organized into clear and easy-to-follow instructions and accompanied by beautiful illustrations depicting each step, perfect for school-age readers or younger kids accompanied by an adult in the kitchen. ‘Baking Bread with Kids’ is the definitive bread book for learning to make delicious loaves and treats that everyone will enjoy.”

 

“Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making”

by Leader, Daniel, author.

“In this groundbreaking book, [Leader] offers a comprehensive picture of bread baking today for the enthusiastic home baker. With inspiration from a community of millers, farmers, bakers, and scientists, ‘Living Bread’ provides a fascinating look into the way artisan bread baking has evolved and continues to change.”

 

“Big Book of Bread: 125+ Recipes for Every Baker”

by Battilana, Jessica, author.

“A bread book with 125 recipes that meet you where you are, whether novice or bread-head.” — From Amazon.com.

 

“Bread on the Table: Recipes for Making and Enjoying Europe’s Most Beloved Breads”

by Norman, David, author.

“Culinary instructor and baker David Norman explores the European breadmaking traditions that inspire him most–from the rye breads of France to the saltless ciabattas of Italy to the traditional Christmas loaves of Scandinavia. Norman also offers recipes for traditional foods to accompany these regional specialties, so home bakers can showcase their freshly made breads.”

 

“Everyday Bread: 100 Recipes for Baking Bread on Your Schedule”

by America’s Test Kitchens.

“The cooks at America’s Test Kitchens help home cooks simplify the process of making bread through seven core dough recipes to use and remix, three-ingredient quick breads to put on the table in an hour, and reinvented Rustic No-Knead Bread.”

 

“Classic Sourdoughs: A Home Baker’s Handbook”

by Wood, Ed, author.

“This authoritative sourdough baking classic is updated with new recipes and the authors’ recent discovery of a technique that allows the baker to control sourness while ensuring consistently leavened loaves. Wood builds on this technique with 100 recipes featuring rustic grains and modern flavors, including Herb Spelt Bread, No-Knead Kamut Bread, and Malt Beer Bread, along with recipes for pancakes, bagels, English muffins, breadsticks, and more.”

Manhattan Public Library is a cornerstone of free and equal access to a world of ideas and information for the Manhattan, Kansas, community. Learn more at mhklibrary.org

Gender Diversity in Fiction

By Sam Carpenter, Teen Librarian

It’s April! Along with warmer temperatures and summer growing closer comes Little Apple Pride. This year Pride will take place starting at 11:30 am Saturday, April 12, 2025 in City Park. The public library will be there as well. Be sure to look for our table. We will have stickers, buttons, and smiling faces galore.

This year, I want to bring focus to books in our collection that have diverse gender representation. There are records of gender nonconforming individuals, according to Ianna Urquhart in “Exploring the History of Gender Expression,” an article written for the University of California Gender Pronoun Initiative, going back as early as the Copper Age. Many cultures have words for these people from the Native American two-spirit to the Hindi Hijra. Here are some of my favorites.

 

Adult Fiction

“Gender Queer: A Graphic Novel: A Memoir” written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe.

“Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, ‘Gender Queer’ is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity–what it means and how to think about it–for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.”

“The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston.

“Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all. All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later it’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition? But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.”

Young Adult Fiction

“Icarus” by K. Ancrum.

“Icarus Gallagher is a thief. He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man–the wealthy Mr. Black–has been their target in revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught. Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous–a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.”

“Out of the Blue” by Jason June.

“Crest is not excited to be on their Journey: the monthlong sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The rules are simple: Help a human within one moon cycle and return to Pacifica to become an Elder–or fail and remain stuck on land forever. In Los Angeles with a human body and a new name, Crest meets Sean, a human lifeguard whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. Crest agrees to help Sean make his ex jealous and win him back. But as the two spend more time together and Crest’s perspective on humans begins to change, they’ll soon be torn between two worlds. And fake dating just might lead to real feelings…”

Children’s Fiction

“Dear Mothman” by Robin Gow.

“Halfway through sixth grade, Noah’s best friend and the only other trans boy in his school, Lewis, passed away in a car accident. After his death, lonely and yearning for someone who could understand him like Lewis once did, Noah starts writing letters to Mothman, wondering if he would understand how Noah feels and also looking for evidence of Mothman’s existence in the vast woods surrounding his small Poconos town. But as strange things start to happen and Noah becomes sure of Mothman’s existence, his parents and teachers don’t believe him. Noah decides it’s up to him to risk everything, trek into the woods, and find Mothman himself.”

“Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! What Are Your Pronouns Today?” written by Lindz Amer and illustrated by Kate Alizadeh.

“A young informational storybook introducing the concept of pronouns and identifying one’s pronouns to kids.”

 

I hope you all enjoy all this lovely weather, and don’t forget: Summer Reading is right around the corner! Manhattan Public Library is a cornerstone of free and equal access to a world of ideas and information for the Manhattan, Kansas, community. Learn more at mhklibrary.org.