Office Hours with Nature: Enjoy “real-time conversations with Natural Lands’ staff experts,” or read favorite questions and answers on topics from past Office Hours.
Your library card is your link to the book world in the New York Times. See what’s happening today:
Read about a new novel, The End of October by Lawrence Wright, in which a new virus upends the world.
Preview 11 Books to Watch for in May.
Read about If It Bleeds, a new collection of novellas by Stephen King.
Access recent articles and book reviews, best sellers and a whole lot more.
You can read the New York Times for free with your library card. Click here to sign in and create your free account.
If you don’t have a library card, you can still get one to tap into our online digital collection, newspapers, Flipster magazines, and helpful databases. Click here to learn how.
There’s something both relaxing and fascinating about watching nature’s creatures in their native habitats. These livecams from explore.org give you a close up look at creatures from land and sea, without intruding on them.
Watching these scenes might make you want to read about animals and nature too. Here are some related books, available now for download to your device.
Grizzly Heart – Living Without Fear Among the Brown Bears of Kamchatka by Charlie Russell – download eBook here
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald – download eAudiobook here or eBook here
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat – download eAudiobook here or eBook here
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen – download eBook here
Voices in the Ocean – A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey – download eBook here
And check out these magazines on Flipster for more about animals and nature. Sign in here with your library card.
From eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers, magazines to subject databases, our online resources are here for you!
April 26 is National Pretzel Day. There are many stories regarding the origin of the Pretzel. Some believe it originated by Christian monks in Italy around 610 A.D and the shape resembled arms crossed in prayer. Others believe it originated in various parts of Europe as a means of nutrition during Lent when other food types were not allowed to be eaten. It was used as a reward, a symbol of love (thus the term “tying the knot”) and by the 1600’s, Germans were wearing pretzel necklaces around their necks on New Year’s Day as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. As Germans settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700’s, this region became the birthplace of pretzels in the United States.
Pennsylvania Pretzel fun facts: In 2003, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell declared April 26 as National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state’s history and economy.
Hard pretzels were “invented” in the late 1600s, when a baker fell asleep in a Pennsylvania bakery and accidentally over baked his pretzels. This created what seemed an inedible, knot of dough. His job was spared when the master baker took an angry bite out of one–and loved it.
Julius Sturgis opened the first commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania, in 1861. He received his original pretzel recipe as a thank you from a down-on-his-luck job seeker after Sturgis gave the man dinner. You can visit and take a tour at the original site (when our economy re-opens). This family fun activity is in nearby Lancaster County.
Reading Pretzel Machinery Company introduced the first automated pretzel machine, which enabled large bakeries to make 245 pretzels per minute, or five tons in a day.
Eighty percent of US pretzels are made in Pennsylvania and per Statista which you can access from the library database, pretzel sales reached 1.24 billion U.S. dollars from May 2018-May 2019. The average U.S. citizen consumes up to two pounds of pretzels per year, but Philadelphians snack on about 12 pounds of pretzels per person every year.
Let’s follow this easy recipe to make some pretzels today with your family in honor of National Pretzel Day!
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act created new temporary paid sick leave and paid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) programs that are 100% reimbursable by the federal government. The effective date of both programs is April 1 and they expire on December 31, 2020.
SCORE of Chester and Delaware Counties has rescheduled two of their previously planned programs, now to be delivered virtually. Click the links below for more information and to register.
Are you a fan of historical fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction, or another book genre? Would you like some new ideas for what to read next based on your favorite genre?
Here are a few resources to help you find reading ideas:
NoveList Plus: Start here to find reading ideas by genre! Access NoveList Plus through the Library by visiting chescolibraries.org, selecting “Tools and Research” from the ribbon of choices at the top of the page, selecting “All CCLS Databases,” and then NoveList Plus. Enter your library card number when prompted.
Once you’re in NoveList Plus, there are a few ways to find ideas by genre:
Under “Recommended Reads,” on the left-hand side of the NoveList Plus homepage, hover over a broad genre category to choose from related lists. Select a list of interest to view title suggestions, and then click on a specific book title to read a book description, professional reviews, and more.
OR
Hover over “Browse By” at the top left-hand side of the NoveList Plus homepage; select “Genre” to peruse new and popular titles by genre. Below each broad genre, click on “Explore [Your Genre]” for more related lists.
NextReads: Sign up to receive free monthly or bimonthly NextReads emails loaded with great book suggestions by genre or subject area. Sign up here, or view the NextReads Archives here.
Beyond great library resources like NoveList Plus and NextReads, there are many additional resources for finding book ideas by genre! Here are just a few:
Multi-Genre
The Reading List (from America Library Association/RUSA CODES): The Reading List highlights outstanding genre fiction in eight genres: “adrenaline titles (suspense, thrillers, and action adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, and women’s fiction.” Scroll down the page to see current and past lists.
Mystery/Thriller
Agatha Awards: Honoring “the Traditional Mystery, books typified by the works of Agatha Christie.” View current nominees here, or select “Agatha Award History” to see past winners.
Cozy Mysteries: Find “cozy” mystery reading ideas by theme, place, and much more!
Edgar Awards: Presented by Mystery Writers of America, and named after author Edgar Allen Poe. View 2020 Nominees, or visit the Edgars Database to search current and previous nominees, or view by category.
Science Fiction
Hugo Awards: “Awards for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy…run by and voted on by fans.” Hover over “Current/Past Hugos” to view award-winners.
Nebula Awards: “The Nebula Awards® are voted on, and presented by, active members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.” Hover over “The Awards” to search awards or view them by year.
Romance
RITA Awards: Romance Writers of America awards for “excellence in published romance novels and novellas.” Scroll down the homepage to click on “Current Winners” or “Past Winners.”
And finally, while not technically a genre, here’s just one resource for finding audiobook listening ideas:
Audiobooks
Audie Awards: “Each year the Audio Publishers Association honors the best titles in audio publishing.” Scroll down the page to link to current and past honorees.
Earlier this week, we discussed Author Read-alikes and Title Read-alikes. No matter which approach you take, we hope that you find good ideas for books to try.
Enjoy exploring, feel free to contact us with your Novelist Plus or other questions, and happy reading!
With so much of our world transitioning from face-to-face interactions to virtual interactions, you may find yourself needing to brush up on some computer skills. DigitalLearn.org, a resource put together by the Public Library Association, has short, easy-to-follow tutorials on topics that range from navigating websites, using Microsoft Word, using cloud storage, online healthcare resources, online job searching, and more. These tutorials are completely free and do not require an account to access them. Simply click the link in this paragraph, select a tutorial, and click “Start Course.”
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