Category Archives: Adults

Community Granny Square Blanket

Calling all crocheters! We’re planning to piece together a community granny square blanket, which will be used for a Friends of the Library fundraiser. If you’d like to donate a few squares, here’s what we’re looking for:

  • 5″ x 5″ squares
  • worsted weight (size 4) acrylic yarn
  • any granny square pattern; any color combination

Donations can be dropped off at the Adult Services desk through Thursday, October 31.

Looking for inspiration? You can browse our book collection or the STELLA catalog (Dewey number: 746.434) and our Libby magazine collection. You can also find video tutorials on Creativebug (including Gaga for Granny Squares).

Need yarn? We have a selection of yarn you may use for this project.

NJ Makers Day: “Try This” Display

The statewide celebration of NJ Makers Day officially starts tomorrow, but we’ve enjoyed celebrating it all week. To help keep your creative energy going, we’ve put up a display of books that are full of activities you might want to try. Stop by the Adult Room to check out the display. We’d love to hear about your creative interests and how we can help fuel them!

Lichens

On March 21 we hosted a virtual talk by lichenologists Jessica Allen, Phd and James Lendemer, Phd. If you missed it, or want to revisit it, the recording is provided here from our YouTube channel.

Some further resources can be found below. Let me know if you find additional information of interest to lichen enthusiasts!

-Jennifer


Books

Urban Lichens: A Field Guide for Northeastern North America, by Jessica Allen and James Lendemer: this is a great introduction to the world of lichens and the varieties that can be found in our area. Pick it up and you’ll soon be identifying the major types and most familiar species of lichen.


Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake – while primarily about fungi, this vividly written and entertaining book includes a chapter on lichens. (“The closer we get to lichens, the stranger they seem.”)


Articles & Papers

lichens photo by Margaret Roach

“Your Garden Isn’t Winding Down: It’s Still Lichen Season”: this New York Times article by Margaret Roach is a nice profile of Jessica and James and a good overview of lichens. If the website shows a paywall, you can read the text here.


Lichen Checklist

An Annotated Checklist of Lichens Reported from New York City Since 1968“: this is a paper published by Jessica Allen in the Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Society (2020).



Gardens and Societies

  • Philadelphia Botanical Club – sponsors field trips to wild areas and gardens in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware and workshops on botanical topics.
  • Torrey Botanical Society – the oldest botanical society in the U.S. holds Zoom lectures for plant lovers and botanists.

Citizen Science

iNaturalist is an easy-to-use app that lets you upload a picture of any wild plant, animal–or lichen!. Your contributions can create research quality data for scientists who are working to better understand and protect nature. Every observation becomes part of a growing record of Earth’s biodiversity.

You can also view what others have seen in your area! Wondering if Smokey-eyed Boulder Lichen (Porpidia albocaerulescens) has been spotted in our area? Use the Explore option to find out! (Yes, it has!)

Here’s a great introduction to getting started with iNaturalist.

See our previous Citizen Science post for more projects!

NJ Makers Day: Plarn

What is plarn? It’s plastic yarn, often made from plastic bags, and it can be used in lots of ways. If you knit or crochet, you can make pot scrubbers, coasters, or reusable tote bags. Some people collect enough plarn to make sleeping mats for the homeless since they’re easy to clean and don’t get soggy. But you can also make decorations like pompoms, garlands, or flowers; and you can even braid plarn to make a jump rope.

At the Library, we receive several newspapers every day, each in their own plastic bags, but we don’t want those bags to end up in a landfill. They come in a variety of colors, and we’ve been saving them for plarn activities. You’re welcome to stop by the Adult Services desk and take some bags to try plarn out for yourself.

Making plarn is pretty simple to do. We’ve put together instructions on how to make it from newspaper bags, but if you have a collection of plastic shopping bags at home, you can find a great tutorial on our online resource Creativebug called Make Plarn for Earth Day.

NJ Makers Day: Visit to the Community Garden

Meet us at the Scotch Plains Community Garden on Saturday, March 26 at 10:30am for an in-person Makers Day event. Master Gardener Margaret Chowdhury will introduce us to what happens at the Community Garden, and then discuss the importance of pollinators, how to prepare the garden bed for planting and how to properly plant a seedling.

The Garden is located at 1451 Raritan Road (at the corner of Raritan and Terrill Roads). Registration for this program is recommended.

NJ Makers Day (Week) Peeps Diorama Challenge

Our celebration of New Jersey Makers Day (Week) is here! Window Star kits are at the Adult Services desk if you’d like to pick one up. There are a few displayed in the library as well for inspiration.

Another featured activity this week is the Bookish Peeps Diorama Challenge – recreate a scene from a book, but include at least one marshmallow Peep in your design. This is an all-ages challenge, but if you’d like a kit (Peeps and some craft supplies included), register here and pick it up at the Youth Services Desk.

Return your diorama by Saturday, March 26 – we can’t see what you’ll come up with!

Welcome to Makers Day (Week)!

Our first Makers Day project is this “Take & Make” Window Star

Make this beautiful transparent window star to celebrate the longer daylight hours!

Pick up your take-and-make kit at the Adult Services desk beginning on Monday, March 21 (while supplies last). The kits contain paper for making one star and the instructions for the star shown above. See below for some other variations you could try! All you need to supply is a glue stick.

Check our blog daily during the week of March 21-25 for more Maker fun and ideas!


These window stars are made with special transparent paper, often called ‘kite paper.’ If you have your own paper, here are the instructions included in our kits. You’ll need 8 squares–the one’s we’re supplying are six inches, but different sizes can work.

Take one square.
Fold it in half.

Fold it in half again.
Unfold it–now you have creases to guide you.
Fold each corner into the center.
Keep it positioned this side up as a diamond shape.
Fold one side into the center.
Apply a bit of glue to hold it there.
Do the same with the other side. Repeat these steps with the remaining 7 squares.

Start gluing the pieces together, one on top of the other–here the yellow is glued on top of the red.
Continue with the remaining pieces, making sure to have the folds facing up.
Tuck the final side under the first piece to complete the star.

Attach your star to a sunny window with small pieces of transparent tape, and enjoy!


Window Star Variations

These are almost endless ways to make window stars–here are a few you can try. Each also uses 8 squares.


Summer Reading Bingo: Read a Graphic Novel

Graphic novels call for a whole different reading approach. The text is accompanied by illustrations that provide visual cues to enhance the story. You can find graphic novels that explore history (March, They Called Us Enemies), retell the classics (The Odyssey, Frankenstein), or share personal stories (Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant). If you haven’t added graphic novels to your reading repertoire, why not give one a try this summer?

June is Pride Month

Many of the titles on this list are from The Rainbow Book List is created by the Rainbow Book List Committee of the Rainbow Round Table of the American Library Association. For more information and for additional lists (and books for older children) please visit their website: https://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/. We thank the librarians who have taken the time to select these titles each year.

Picture Books and Books for Lower Elementary Age

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding by Sarah S Brannen

Chloe is jealous and sad when her favorite uncle announces that he will be getting married, but as she gets to know Jamie better and becomes involved in planning the wedding, she discovers that she will always be special to Uncle Bobby–and to Uncle Jamie, too. Recommended for ages 3 and up. Request this title.

From Archie to Zack by Vincent X. Kirsch

Archie and Zack are inseparable, both in elementary school and outside it, but Archie is having trouble telling Zack about his love, so he writes a letter, from A. to Z.; in fact he writes a lot of letters, but they do not sound right so he hides them–and though his other friends, Zelda, Zinnia, and Zuzella, find the letters, they all understand who the letters are really for. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Request this title.


Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin

This cheerful book follows a family from morning to night in lively rhyme that rolls off the tongue. There’s a buzz for each bug, and a breeze for each tree, and plenty of hugs for you and me. The toddler and mommies take a morning bike ride to a farm stand, they visit a zoo in the afternoon, and in the evening there’s the bath and storybook routine before the child is tucked cozily into bed. Recommended for ages 2 and up. Request this title.

My Rainbow by Trinity and DeShanna Neal

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Request this title.


Ho’onani : Hula Warrior by Heather Gale

An empowering celebration of identity, acceptance and Hawaiian culture based on the true story of a young girl in Hawai?i who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her school. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Request this title.

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff

This sweet #ownvoices picture book celebrates the changes in a transgender boy’s life, from his initial coming-out to becoming a big brother. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Request this title.


My Footprintsby Bao Phi

Upset after being bullied, Thuy, a Vietnamese American, pretends she is different creatures, including an especially strong, wonderful being made up of her two mothers and herself. Includes note about the phoenix and the Sarabha. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Request this title.

A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith

In this illustrated picture book, a child helps their grandparents deal with a difficult change in abilities. Recommended for ages 3 and up. Request this title.


Neither by Airlie Anderson

Because Neither is unlike both the rabbits and birds of the Land of This and That, it sets out to find a new place where all kinds of creatures are welcome. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Request this title.

The Adventures of Honey & Leon by Alan Cumming

Determined to keep their dads safe on their trip to France, two dogs disguise themselves and follow along. Recommended for ages 3 and up. Request this title.

Chapter Books & Middle-Grade

Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

When best friends Sal and Gabi try to repair the damage they created when they altered the universe to help their families, they end up creating even more chaos. Request this title.

The Derby Daredevils by Kit Rosewater

Fifth-grade best friends Kenzie “Kenzilla” and Shelly “Bombshell” dream of becoming roller derby superstars one day, but when a junior league forms and they must recruit teammates, will their friendship survive? Request this title.


King and The Dragonflies by Kheryn Callender

In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy’s grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself. In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy’s grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself. Request this title.

A Home for goddesses and dogs by Leslie Connor

This novel sings about loss and love and finding joy in new friendships and a loving family, along with the world’s best bad dog. An uplifting middle grade novel about recovery featuring strong female characters, an adorable dog, and the girl who comes to love him. Request this title.


Ana on the edge by A. J. Sass

Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season’s program will be princess themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success. Request this title.

The list of things that will not change by Rebecca Stead

Despite her parents’ divorce, her father’s coming out as gay, and his plans to marry his boyfriend, ten-year-old Bea is reassured by her parents’ unconditional love, excited about getting a stepsister, and haunted by something she did last summer at her father’s lake house. Request this title.


Drum roll, please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

 Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It’s the only time she doesn’t feel like a mouse. Now she and Olivia are about to spend the next two weeks at Camp Rockaway, jamming under the stars in the Michigan woods.  Request this title.

Too bright to see by Kyle Lukoff

t’s the summer before middle school and eleven-year-old Bug’s best friend Moira has decided the two of them need to use the next few months to prepare. For Moira, this means figuring out the right clothes to wear, learning how to put on makeup, and deciding which boys are cuter in their yearbook photos than in real life. But none of this is all that appealing to Bug, who doesn’t particularly want to spend more time trying to understand how to be a girl. Request this title.


The best at it by Maulik Pancholy

Twelve-year-old Rahul Kapoor, an Indian-American boy growing up in small-town Indiana, struggles to come to terms with his identity, including that he may be gay. Request this title.

Elle of the ball by Elena Delle Donne

Having shot up to six feet tall over the summer, seventh-grader Elle not only has trouble controlling her limbs on the basketball court, she dreads the upcoming school cotillion. Request this title.

Books for Teens

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Request this title.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

In this uplifting coming-of-age novel told in accessible verse, Atta chronicles the growth and glory of Michael Angeli, a mixed-race kid from London, as he navigates his cultural identity as Cypriot and Jamaican as well as his emerging sexuality. Request this title.


Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Love, a transgender seventeen-year-old, attempts to get revenge by catfishing his anonymous bully, but lands in a quasi-love triangle with his former enemy and his best friend. Request this title.

Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

In this epic sequel to Once & Future, Ari and her Rainbow knights must pull off a Holy Grail heist thousands of years in the past — without destroying their own destinies. Request this title.


The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

“After an ancient prophecy is betrayed, a world ruled by a long line of goddesses is split in two–one half in perpetual day, and the other in an endless night–and two young twin goddesses set out on separate and equally dangerous journeys to the Breach that divides them, hoping to save their broken world. Request this title.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves pop music work together to save humanity? A beautiful and thrilling debut novel for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth. Request this title.


Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan

Told in two voices, cellist Jubilee and anxiety-ridden Ridley meet at a comic con where both of their families have booths, and begin a relationship they must hide from their parents. Request this title.

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey

When Alexis accidentally kills a classmate on prom night using magic, her best friends Roya, Iris, Paulie, Marcelina, and Maryam join in using their powers to try to set things right. Request this title.


Let’s Call it a Doomsday by Katie Henry

Ellis Kimball, sixteen, whose anxiety disorder causes her to prepare for the imminent end of the world, meets Hannah, who claims to know when it will happen. Request this title.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas. Request this title.

Books for Adults

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

A singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence. Request this title.

Malice by Heather Walter

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this “bewitching and fascinating” (Tamora Pierce) retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. Request this title.


Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Facing his erstwhile boyfriend’s wedding to another man, his 50th birthday, and his publisher’s rejection of his latest manuscript, a miserable midlist novelist heads for the airport…a very funny and occasionally wise book (Kirkus). Request this title.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

This breakout book by Alison Bechdel is a darkly funny family tale, pitch-perfectly illustrated with Bechdel’s sweetly gothic drawings. Like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, it’s a story exhilaratingly suited to graphic memoir form. Request this title.


The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place-and realizing that family is yours. Request this title.

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

Opening up the fantasies and desires of one young woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story charting two of our most intense longings–for love, and a place to call home. Request this title.


No Ashes in the Fire by Darnell L. Moore

Moore reminds us that liberation is possible if we commit ourselves to fighting for it, and if we dream and create futures where those who survive on society’s edges can thrive. Request this title.

The Deviant’s War by Eric Cervini

From a young Harvard- and Cambridge-trained historian, the secret history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall. Request this title.


Real Queer America by Samantha Allen

Allen takes us on a cross-country road-trip stretching all the way from Provo, Utah to the Rio Grande Valley to the Bible Belt to the Deep South. Her motto for the trip: “Something gay every day.” Request this title.

Tomorrow Will be Different by Sarah McBride

Sarah’s story of identity, love, and tragic loss serves as a powerful entry point for readers who want to gain a deeper understanding of gender identity and what it means to be openly transgender. Request this title.


Descriptions of the books are taken from our catalog and recommended age suggestions are from resources such as Publisher Weekly and Kirkus.

National Book Festival

The Library of Congress is celebrating the 20th annual National Book Festival this weekend, September 25-27, with a theme of Celebrating American Ingenuity. One of the most prominent literary events in the United States, it brings together thousands of readers for book talks, interviews, and book signings with authors for every age and genre. (The website also includes samples of highlights from previous festivals, including a conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at last year’s festival.) 

This year the festival will be held virtually, instead of in its usual Washington DC location. Another new feature to the festival is a focus on three timely topics that visitors can explore on a deeper level: Fearless Women, Hearing Black Voices, and Democracy in the 21st Century.

You can register and build a schedule to access on-demand videos and live author chats, or you can keep an eye on the Library of Congress YouTube channel

PBS is partnering with the Library of Congress to close the festival with a two-hour television special exploring the ingenuity of a diverse group of best-selling American authors – “what it means to them, how it fires their minds and imaginations and why books are so important to us in these times.” Hosted by Hoda Kotb, the special will premiere on PBS Sunday, September 27 at 6:00pm.