Blog Entries

Department
Tags
Staff Member

BOOKS FOR DAD

Did you know Father’s Day didn’t become a national Holiday until 1972? That was 58 years since Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Reeves Jarvis and fellow peace activist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe had been advocating for a national Mother’s Day devoted to peace since 1870.

CLAUDETTE’S KITCHEN- ALL STAR SALAD

Let the summer fun begin with this All Star Line up! With the ‘dog days’ of summer approaching, this delicious summer salad comes in handy. Create a vibrant healthy bowl using fresh greens and veggies. I’ve dedicated the name All Star Salad to this dish because so many ingredients are key MVPs! Sports may be cancelled this summer, but you still have this chance to bring some All Stars into your home! This star studded salad consists of:

PRIDE MONTH LITERATURE

This June marks the fiftieth anniversary of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. The first Pride March was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. While the first Pride March was estimated to have between 3,500 and 5,000 participants, recent marchers have numbered in the millions. To learn more about the history of Pride Month, check out this comprehensive page on the Library of Congress website.

REVIEW – “THE THREE BODY PROBLEM” BY LIU CIXIN

Hey everyone! I’m back with another science fiction review. Today I’m talking about “The Three Body Problem” by Liu Cixin. It was first published in 2008 in China, and was translated into English by Ken Liu in 2014. “The Three Body Problem” is the first in the trilogy “Remembrance of Earth’s Past.” It is followed by “The Dark Forest” and “Death’s End,” both of which have been translated into English.

 

CLAUDETTE’S KITCHEN- SALTFISH FRITTERS

Jamaican Saltfish Fritters

Codfish is what we Jamaicans call salt-fish. The name salt fish is most likely derived from the process of preservation, which is drying after salting. In other countries it is known as Baccala and in Portugal it is called Bacalhau. In the Caribbean Islands salt-fish is a main food staple. In Jamaica specifically, it is a part of the national dish of the Island.

LITERARY REFLECTIONS ON INJUSTICE AND PEACEFUL PROTEST, SPRING 2020

History, we know, is cyclical but this particular cycle seems unprecedented in its turmoil.  Voices from the past have a lot to teach us about appropriate and constructive ways to react to injustice. Below are iconic quotes that both inspire and instruct.  Click on the author’s name for a link to additional information. 

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 

LGBTQIA Television: Science Fiction & Fantasy

June is Pride Month and this year marks the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions. The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28th, 1970, marking the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The Library of Congress has some great information on the Stonewall Uprising if you aren’t familiar or want to refresh your memory.

Claudette's Kitchen- Plantains

Many of us have seen this over sized banana hanging out in the tropical fruit section of your supermarket and wondering what it is. It is a plantain which is bigger, firmer and has a thick skin and does not taste like a banana.

The plantain is more starchy and needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. Plantains are very popular all over the Caribbean and Central America, but that is not where plantains originated. They are indigenous to the Tropical regions of Southeast Asian.

Anti-Racist Resources

As we seek to understand the deep injustices that have led to this current situation of unrest and calls for urgently needed change, our librarians have come together to produce a list of titles for Adults, Teens and Children that focus on anti-racism. In addition to these lists, there are a number of excellent documentaries dealing with systemic injustice on Kanopy, many of them listed here.

Get Moving

As we have mentioned previously, May is Mental Health Month, and it seems to be pretty common knowledge that physical activity is essential to our mental well being. With this in mind I am so glad to be able to share this pilates video from one of our Friends ( the Scarsdale Library Friends), Loretta Vickers. Loretta’s video is especially great because it helps us focus and breath correctly as we perform the movements.

Review: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Today I’ll be reviewing “Every Heart a Doorway” by Seanan McGuire. This novella, published in 2016, won the Hugo, Alex, Locus, and Nebula awards for 2017. Since then three more books in the series have been published: “Down Among the Sticks and Bones”, “Beneath the Sugar Sky”, and “In an Absent Dream.”

Get Down and Boogie!

Picture it: Studio 54 NYC: the mirror ball shimmers as the strobe lights flash to the beat of the disco. So put on your platform shoes and let’s hustle on back to the sounds of  the ‘70s! John Travolta inspired a nation to get out on the dance floor with his iconic moves in Saturday Night Fever.  

Memorial Day 2020

While many of us these days feel like we are reliving the Bill Murray role in Groundhog Day, we are actually hurtling rather rapidly through time and, unbelievably, have reached Memorial Day, May 25, the official kickoff to summer.  Originally called Decoration Day, from the tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, the holiday was first observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the deaths of Civil War soldiers. After World War I, the holiday was expanded to honor all who sacrificed their lives while in service.

Claudette's Kitchen- Skillet Almond Shortbread

Winning ways to whip up wellness!

I know we are all beginning to get a little nutty from being quarantined for so long, so why not add one more recipe to your baked goods agenda. Don’t be shy, most of us are on our fifth home made baked good attempt.

May Literary Birthdays

Need a reason to celebrate? Who doesn’t these days?  Let’s commemorate and celebrate (some of the) authors whose birthdays occur in May and whose works provide endless consolation and inspiration in the best and worst of times.  So, lift a glass (and a book) to the following literary lights: