Sometimes I end up with themes for these posts, and this time the accidental theme is debut authors. Two out of three of these books are debuts, so let’s give some love to new authors! Yes, we could all just keep re-reading Holly Black or Karen McManus, but I’m always excited to find new favorites. (A bonus theme is protagonists with names that start with the letters “Av”!) Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: November 2022”
November is Native American Heritage Month! It is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Island communities and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people.
So if you want to learn (or re-learn) some North American history or take a dive into Indigenous futurism, there are some great titles below! Continue reading “Native American Teen Reads”
In August we asked our patrons to share what they love about their library! We received some wonderful comments and each month we will feature quotes from our patrons and library staff, highlighting the things that make their buildings so special. This month Beth B. is our guest staff member from the Callaway County Public Library in Fulton.
Continue reading “Library Spotlight: Callaway County Public Library in Fulton”
What is Afrofuturism? There are some dictionary definition answers I could give, but they wouldn’t fully encompass the idea and there is still disagreement about what exactly defines it. The genre was born decades ago but is still developing and even some people who are categorized into it do not want to be. Also, I’m not going to try to define all of it here. Since our topic is Black Panther, and this post is coming to you in anticipation of the soon-to-be-released Black Panther 2, let’s define it as one thing: Afrofuturism is Wakanda. Continue reading “Black Panther & Afrofuturism”
Hello, my ghouls, ghosts, and other assorted specters. We are in the thick of Halloween season, with less than a week until that magical day of candy and costumes, spooks and scares! In celebration of the season, I wanted to take you, dear reader, through a number of my favorite graphic novels that fit the occasion for one simple reason: they are gory, gruesome, drenched in enough blood to make Dracula drool, and otherwise feature plenty of insides that just so happen to be on the outside. All of these graphic novels have their merits outside of their crimson-coated cast, with the level of horror varying from title to title. Each title, however, is worth a look for those who don’t mind things getting a little bit bloody in honor of the spooky season. So let’s get started! Continue reading “Bloody Good Graphic Novels for Halloween”
Do you love all matter of spooky ephemera, including (but not limited to) asymmetrical gourds, a crunchy walk through leaf-litter at dusk, black cats, swooping bats, a chilly breeze, the moonlit hoot-hooting of an owl, flickering shadows, the curling crackle of a bonfire with friends, your favorite elder’s throaty cackle? 🍠🍂🐈🖤🦇🌬️🌕🔥
Are you into that *swirls hands in the air over imaginary cauldron/crystal ball* distinctly witchy vibe? 🔮🕯️
Are you a young ghoul at heart? 👻
Does your bedroom feature skulls, spiderwebs, and tombstones as year-round decor? 🕸️💀
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you’re among friends (or fiends 😈)! Halloween and all its haunted trappings gives my heart, in the words of young vampire Vlad the Rad, “bat wings” and “sugar-frosted lightning bolts,” but I have a confession: while I love all manner of the occult, I am just too tender-hearted for the harrowing thrills, over-the-top gore, scritchy-scratchy musical panic, and heart-pounding jump-scares that are present in many scary movies (and the horror genre more generally). Which means I have to be extra selective when it comes to figuring out how to best usher and revel in the ghastly glory of spooky season. So this year I’ve come up with a curated Spooky, Not Scary™ Watch-List perfect for anyone who wants to experience a spectre-tacular atmosphere without sacrificing their delicate nerves. Each tv show, movie or video is rated on a scale of 0-5 smashed pumpkins. The more smashed pumpkins (which I’ve metaphorically dropped out of terror), the closer the tv show/movie/video is to being truly frightening. Note: no gourds were harmed in the making of this list. 🎃
You can access the full list here; what follows are my Top 6 with minimal spoilers! Happy Hauntings! Continue reading “Spooky, Not Scary Watch-List”
In perusing new stories for the spooky season, I was thrilled to see so many books about witches! I actually had trouble narrowing them down for this blog! Harness your magic, get ready for adventures, and revel in autumn with some witchy reads.
Continue reading “Season of the Witch”
Do you daydream about escaping into the woods and wonder what it would be like to be a woodland creature? Or do you want to know how to give up a boss life for a moss life? We recently hosted a program where we did all that and more! In our ongoing how-to cosplay series, we transformed ourselves and our patrons into fantastic woodland animals. Don’t worry if you missed our program, we’ve got tips below to help you become a majestic creature! And be on the lookout for more cosplay fun in December! Continue reading “Cosplay Tutorial: Woodland Creature Transformation”
Looking for a great read? Then look no further! These books were all given 5 stars by our teens! Pick one (or all of them) up at your library!
Continue reading “Reader Reviews: 5/5 Stars ★★★★★”
It is an unavoidable truth that all of us, rich and poor, young and old, have one thing in common: we have to eat. Eating is all well and good, but the problem for most folks is the cooking required to get to that step. Between all the chopping, seasoning, mixing, and cooking to get to a delicious meal it’s hard to blame anyone for reaching for takeout instead. However, we here at DBRL have decided to save you money, help you learn some new skills, and maybe even help you eat a bit better! Well, maybe some of the time, we do make some delicious desserts when the mood strikes us. “Cooking by the Book” is a monthly program put on by DBRL in order to showcase some fantastic recipes we’ve found, give a live demonstration and some background information on what we’re cooking, and a chance for you to cook along with our presenters over Zoom! If you can’t make it to the program that month, don’t worry. Every session of “Cooking by the Book” is recorded and posted our DBRL YouTube playlist afterward, making it easy to catch up if you miss one or go through our backlog of programs if you’re just joining us. Continue reading “Cooking by the Book: Key to Your Culinary Kingdom”