Tag Archives: General Recommendations

‘Tis the Season for Rewatchables

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The birds are chirping, the trees are thawing, and we can finally see a single patch of grass again. We did it. We survived winter (sort of)! Insert a celebratory sound effect of your choice in place of this sentence. There was one thing that helped me drag myself through the (truly) cold months this year, and considering the thawing theme that March tends to bring with it, what better time to share my current fixation with you: old(er) TV shows (well, one in particular, but that’s semantics and we don’t do that here).

Time to dust off that collection of DVD boxes and take them off the shelves for some early Spring cleaning- or better yet, binge watching. Hey, I’m not going to judge. After this winter, you deserve it, and our staff agrees. After doing extensive, totally scientific research (aka, a fun, library-wide poll), I’ve gathered the top television shows and movies that we’ve watched over and over again, so that you can give a proper, fully de-iced salute to Spring when it finally arrives or get a head start on hibernating for next year. Get your remotes and comfy clothes ready, and let’s dive in.

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War of the Weathers: A Short Guide to Surviving Winter Inside

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Gear up, everyone. I’m getting on my (probably second, it’s chilly out) pair of dueling mittens. Who knew you could turn something as mundane as tangentially related weather talk into a full-scale blog battle? Granted, I could have left my colleague Adam’s autumn defense post well enough alone and I’ve already made enough of an internet footprint on my thoughts on the cold months and their “joys”. But I submit to the court (of public opinion): where’s the fun in that? Therefore, I will not take this kind of (very fun and politely worded) slander sitting down or bundled up in too many sweaters.

Here I am, bravely waving the flag of the anti-winter camp in this Weather War. Again. Granted, I don’t mind being an army of one (my blanket burrito only has occupancy for one anyway), but in case I’m not the only person out there who refuses to step outside once I see white on the ground, I’ve put together a little survival guide full of library goodies to help you make sure you can be a winter hermit, grump, or Grinch to the fullest.

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Why Do We Tell Stories?

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“Why do we tell stories? To try to make sense of a world that can be terrifying and enormous.” – Brennan Lee Mulligan

It’s a quote that comes back to my mind every so often, as someone who works in a house full of stories (aka the library) and as a writer. You could say it’s a favorite quote of mine (and I promise it has nothing to do with the fact it comes from one of the best Dungeons & Dragons live play sessions I’ve ever watched). Every time I get struck by the dreaded writer’s block and every time I start fretting over the words in my blog posts for more hours than can actually be healthy, I hear those same words in the back of my head.

Why do we tell stories? Because the world can be terrifying, and enormous, and so hard to make sense of.  

Mulligan’s answer is one of many, but don’t worry, I’m not going to delve into more horror picks this month as much as I want to focus on the “terrifying” part. His words usually get me thinking about the question itself. Why do we tell stories? The habit of storytelling is as old as recorded history, if not older, and yet we still do it, from amateur weavers to lauded professionals. We have places where you can buy stories and places where you can get them for free. Even the internet has curated spaces and websites specifically meant for telling stories (here’s looking at you, fanfiction auteurs).

With November coming up, which for the past eight years has been Buckle In and Get Writing Month to me, I was going to make this post about the usual writing guides, tips, and tricks that the library and the internet have to offer. Instead, I would like to shift gears and make a miniature investigation into storytelling, with you readers as my honorary Watsons. I hope you all have your deerstalkers on.

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