Advice

Little Apple Pride

by Audrey Swartz, Adult Services and Readers’ Advisory Librarian

April is significant this year for many reasons: a once in 20 years eclipse, the first day of spring, Earth Day, Library Workers Appreciation Day, and Manhattan’s Little Apple Pride Festival. Little Apple Pride takes place on Saturday April 20th at City Park. The Parade and vendor booths start/open at 3pm with entertainment at the Band Shell going until 7pm. Come visit the Manhattan Public Library booth from 3-6 in the Wefald pavilion. We will have plenty of Proud Reader swag and smiling faces!

 

This year, our public services librarians created a list of non-fiction books to feature in our subject resources brochure that will be going to the event and will be located throughout the library. This brochure and our other subject resources are available online at https://mhklibrary.org/home/online-resources/. You will find the list of books below, but the handout also includes national and local resources and their contact information. As always, all information for these titles has been taken from our catalog, which can be accessed at https://catalog.manhattan.lib.ks.us/polaris/default.aspx.

 

Adult Nonfiction Books:

“Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex”

by Angela Chen.  “Journalist Angela Chen creates her path to understanding her own asexuality with the perspectives of a diverse group of asexual people. Vulnerable and honest, these stories include a woman who had blood tests done because she was convinced that ‘not wanting sex’ was a sign of serious illness, and a man who grew up in a religious household and did everything ‘right,’ only to realize after marriage that his experience of sexuality had never been the same as that of others. Disabled aces, aces of color, gender-nonconforming aces, and aces who both do and don’t want romantic relationships all share their experiences navigating a society in which a lack of sexual attraction is considered abnormal. Chen’s careful cultural analysis explores how societal norms limit understanding of sex and relationships and celebrates the breadth of sexuality and queerness.”

“The Ex-Girlfriend of My Ex-Girlfriend Is My Girlfriend: Advice on Queer Dating, Love,and Friendship” written by Maddy Court and illustrated by Kelsey Wroten.

“Court answers anonymous queries from lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and people of marginalized genders. She tackles first loves, heartbreak, coming out, and queer friendship—all answered with the warmth and honesty of the gay big sister you wish you had. The questions reflect real experiences that aren’t often represented in the media, and the answers offer an important reminder that loving ourselves takes patience, effort, and the support of our friends and communities.”

“¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons” by John Paul Brammer

“The popular LGBTQ advice columnist and writer presents a memoir-in-essays chronicling his journey growing up as a queer, mixed-race kid in America’s heartland to becoming the ‘Chicano Carrie Bradshaw’ of his generation.”

 

 

Young Adult Nonfiction Books:

“Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality” written by Eliot Schrefer and illustrated by Jules Zuckerberg

“This groundbreaking illustrated YA nonfiction title from two-time National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer is a well-researched and teen-friendly exploration of the gamut of queer behaviors observed in animals. In sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics—Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.”

“Coming Out: Insights and Tips for Teenagers” by Kezia Endsley

“offers compassionate insight into the hows and whys of coming out. Whether you are struggling with coming out yourself or wanting to help a friend or family member, this book seeks to provide answers to some of the questions you may have. Written from the perspective of the LGBTQIA+ community with firsthand accounts from fellow teenagers, this book addresses the issues and concerns of today that will resonate with anyone wishing to come out and live a happy, fulfilled life surrounded by people who love and accept them. You will learn -how to know when you or a loved one is ready to come out -who to tell first -how to deal with unsupportive people -how to deal with homophobia -how to move into loving self-acceptance.”

“What’s the T?: No-Nonsense Guide to All Things Trans and/or Non-binary for Teens”

written by Juno Dawson and illustrated by Soofiya

“Discover what it means to be a young transgender and/or non-binary person in the twenty-first century in this candid and funny guide for teens from the bestselling author of ‘This Book is Gay.’ In ‘What’s the T?’ Stonewall ambassador and bestselling author Juno Dawson is back again, this time with everything you’ve wanted to know about labels and identities and offering uncensored advice with her trademark humor and lightness of touch. It is informative, helpful, optimistic, and funny but with a good dose of reality and some of the things that can downright suck too. ‘What’s the T?’ tackles the complex realities of growing up trans with honesty and humor and is joyfully illustrated by gender non-conforming artist Soofiya.”

 

 

I hope to see you exploring our library and visiting us at events throughout the summer! 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.

 

 

 

# # #

Audrey Swartz, Adult Services and Readers’ Advisory Librarian

Home for the Holidays: New Recipes for Old Traditions

By: Audrey Swartz, Adult Services and Readers’ Advisory Librarian

From one feast to another, winter months are filled with reasons to cook, join with family and friends, and eat our hearts out. In my family, feasting also comes with the tribulations of food allergies and aversions. For years, I’ve struggled to find things that will satisfy everyone. You won’t find a casserole on our feast table for several reasons, most because we are picky creatures with even pickier tiny humans to feed. I am also allergic to mushrooms and according to the folks I feed, green bean casserole just isn’t the same when made with cream of chicken soup. I often resort to making copper pennies but am always on the search for a great recipe to bring green beans back to the table.

 

This year I’ve been consulting Manhattan Public Library’s vast cookbook collection and have found several recipes that sound delicious. To keep it simple, I choose to make the “long-cooked green beans with oregano” featured in the “Fine cooking Thanksgiving cookbook: recipes for turkey and all the trimmings.” This recipe takes about an hour to prep and fully cook. Don’t fret, these were great at room temperature and were still a hit the next day.

 

My only true complaint, has nothing to do with the recipe and more the amount of cooking in the kitchen at my house. My mother and I always split the cooking jobs. She handles the turkey while I handle the sides and pies. Since these need to be tended to throughout their cooking process, it made the kitchen a bit crazy for the last hour before meal time. If your house is a one-cook kitchen, one would need to make sure their time management game is strong or this would be a great dish to bring to a meal. I recommend it and will be making these again for my picky veggie kiddos.

 

In my house, rolls are definitely the most loved and eaten side dish. My oldest, on feast day, ate 16 rolls. She is a carb machine. Whatever recipe I was going to try this year, I needed to make a lot of them and make them ahead of time. I eventually picked the “honey-oat pan rolls” in the “Taste of Home 201 recipes you’ll make forever: classic recipes for today’s home cooks.” This recipe was incredibly easy to double and only took a few hours of my pre-feast day meal prep. Having never made rolls from scratch, I was nervous, but this recipe was easy to follow and a huge hit. I will absolutely be making it again and probably tripling it this next time if my children continue down their carb loving paths. Sides have long been my favorite part of feast day, and I am aware most people come for the pie.

 

In my quest to find a pumpkin pie I don’t hate, and that my pie loving family will still enjoy, I turned to Kate McDermott and her cookbook “Art of the pie: a practical guide to homemade crusts, fillings, and life.” Her pumpkin pie reflects the classic recipe you can find on any can of pie filling with the exception of switching out the evaporated milk for lite coconut milk. She concedes that you can use evaporated milk if you like, as I was trying something new, I went with the coconut milk. While this recipe didn’t change my mind on pumpkin pie, it was a major success with the family. The coconut milk added to the savory nature of the pie, which my mother appreciated, and did not take away from the apparent deliciousness. My youngest daughter is a pumpkin pie fanatic and devoured an entire quarter of pie by herself. As this creation did not add any more work to my pie-making time and is a new family favorite, I will continue to make it for our feasts and will concede I am not meant to like pumpkin pie. All the recipes I tried on my family this year were a hit and did not disappoint. I hope you had a wonderful time feasting and enjoying your time with your families, given or found.

 

Manhattan Public Library is a cornerstone of free and equal access to a world of ideas and information for the Manhattan, Kansas, community. Manhattan Public Library serves more than 75,000 people in the Riley County area through curated book and other media collections, knowledgeable staff, relevant programming for all ages, and meeting space. Learn more at mhklibrary.org. 

Audrey Swartz, Adult Services and Readers’ Advisory Librarian

 

 

Snowy Kids’ Books and a Winter Reading Challenge

By Jennifer Bergen, Program and Children’s Services Manager

The library is trying something new with the new year – a winter reading challenge. We invite everyone of all ages to register for the Winter Reading Challenge and see if you can read at least 4 hours in January. You can also complete winter reading activities like reading aloud to someone, or telling a friend about a good book. This is just for fun, with a prize of a free book when you complete the challenge.

Reading aloud to your kids counts as reading time for both you and them. If you are looking for some good winter themed stories to read by the fireplace, here are some new and old titles to try.

Snow Song by A. K. Riley and Dawn Lo is a beautifully illustrated poem that delights in snow.  Bundled up children are shown walking through the snow, gathering to sled and ice skate and make snow angels. If snow days seem magical to your children, this is the right book. Snow Song is also available as an ebook on Hoopla using your library card number.

Cozy is Jan Brett’s newest picture book, and it does not disappoint. Cozy is a magnificent musk ox who allows smaller animals, one at a time, to take shelter under the warmth of his long, thick fur. He sets “house rules” so the animals will get along – lemmings, a snowshoe hare, arctic fox and more. With a backdrop of snow and northern lights, Cozy is the perfect hero of this story reminiscent of The Mitten. Brett’s traditional side panels on illustrations give kids a chance to guess which animal will be next to join. Brett studied live musk oxen at a farm in Palmer, Alaska to make Cozy come to life. You can even watch Jan Brett read Cozy right now on youtube, and read her older, beloved tale The Mitten as an eBook through Sunflower eLibrary or the Libby app.

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett is a quiet story about a polar bear who wakes up. Where is he going? The illustrations by Shawn Harris are captivating in their expansive white spreads of snow and blue sea. This short tale will easily lead to other winter bear books, such as Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Bear Has a Story to Tell by Phillip C. Stead, which can be viewed as read-aloud stories on BookFlix through the library’s website.

Blizzard by John Rocco is a favorite read-aloud choice, even for older kids. It recounts the author/illustrator’s own experience during a blizzard. At first the snow is exciting, but then it gets so deep, and snowplows cannot handle the load. The young boy is able to leave his house through a window, and uses makeshift snowshoes so he can walk on top of the snow and not sink. Pulling a sled, he begins a journey to the store, stopping by neighbors’ houses on the way to see what they need most. It’s an uplifting wintry tale that will make every kid wish they could be that hero in the snow.

Don’t forget about wonderful classics like Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day or Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon. Both of these stories show the quiet mysteriousness of snow, and the invitation the white-covered world gives to be explored, by yourself or with others. Both of these titles are made into short videos using the book illustrations on our free digital service, Kanopy.

More children’s books about winter and snow will be in our display section of the Children’s Room, which is open for browsing by appointment. Librarians can also pull books on topics or genres of your choice with our Quick Picks for Kids service by calling 785-776-4741 ext. 400. We hope kids and adults will enjoy participating in the Winter Reading Challenge this month.