Lucy Knisley Admiration Society
Earlier this week, I was talking with some friends about books. And more importantly, if any of us were going to reach our reading goals for the year. I’m kinda, … Continued
A Sense of Belonging
Learn how to make any town your hometown.
Frida in all Formats
As a fan of both the written word and visual arts, I’m always tickled when I find ways to learn about contemporary art in new ways. Recently, I’ve been brushing … Continued
Summer Bucket List: State Parks
As a kid, I spent a fair amount of time at the state parks in our region. I have great memories of swimming in the lakes at Moraine, Keystone or Laurel Hill, then picnic dinners and short hikes before sleepy drives home. For many years, our big family vacation involved driving two hours or so north to spend a few days at the Presque Isle beaches. As a much bigger kid, I now fully appreciate our free access to these beautiful lands.
Summer Reading is Serious Business
First of all, I’d like to go on the record as saying that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a good beach book. If you want curl up with the latest by John Grisham or Danielle Steel or Paula Hawkins, by all means go for it! Everyone should feel free to read what makes them happy. But tastes vary, and the things that make you happy may not be the things that make me happy. And the things that make me happy are kinda different. So if you’d like to try reading something different this summer, here are a few nonfiction books that are Serious Business.
Why I Devoured Hunger
“Unruly bodies” have been the talk of much cultural criticism these days (even here on Eleventh Stack), as the the body-positive movement gains more traction. The body-positive movement means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but is probably most easily understood as an umbrella term for activism which seeks to celebrate bodily autonomy and accessibility. Body-positivity can apply to small, individual decisions like body hair removal or decisions about wearing makeup, and to larger, more systemic concerns; large wings of the movement are focused on disability activism, awareness for trans rights and fat-activism.
Throwback Thursday: Travel Here, Travel There, Travel Everywhere… With Books!
The one thing that I have learned through my travel experiences is that you can have fun anywhere you go; it’s all in how you plan it. Make sure that you are prepared for that plan to fall apart entirely, and then you will be able to explore. Some books that I have found helpful, either because they are awesome reads and take place where I was traveling, or because they provide loads of information.
Welcome to Pittsburgh: The Steps of Pittsburgh
According to Bob Regan’s Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the City’s Public Stairways, Pittsburgh has, “more city steps and bridges than any other city in the world.” Additionally: Pittsburgh has hundreds of streets complete with street signs, and oftentimes houses, composed entirely of steps. These “paper streets” are municipal rights-of-way and appear on many maps as valid thoroughfares, much to the consternation of unsuspecting motorists.
Cookbooks for Summer Eats
Summer means lots of different things to lots of different people, but me, well, I spend summer how I spend all other seasons: thinkin’ lots about what I’m going to cook and eat. Here are some tried-and-true cookbooks you can check out for some A+ summertime recipes.
Throwback Thursday: Like a Brick to the Head?
Scott Brick is a super-prolific audiobook narrator and a favorite among Main library staff. He’s narrated books by just about everyone – people like Steve Berry, Terry Brooks, Harlan Coben, Philip K. Dick, John Grisham, Frank Herbert, Jon Krakauer, Erik Larson, and Brad Meltzer, to name a few (really, that’s the short list).