We’re entering the season of gifts! If you are a book lover, you may want to share that love by giving books to everyone on your list. But the books you read and love may not be ones that will excite and capture the imagination of your recipients. What is the key to giving a “just right” book to someone else? The Library and its resources! Preparing for successful book shopping is as easy as 1,2,3.
One: Visit our six branches to get recommendations from our dedicated, expert staff who have a breadth of knowledge across genres, age, and audience. Whether it’s bestsellers or hidden gems, we LOVE to talk books. If you’re looking for children’s books, you’ll have the added bonus of seeing the book and its illustrations at the library before purchasing.
Two: Subscribe to HCLS newsletters to get specialized recommendations delivered to your email inbox regularly. No searching required, the ideas come directly to you! Our staff-curated newsletters, focused by age or interest, deliver monthly book recommendations as well as upcoming library events. We also offer NextReads newsletters which deliver book recommendations by genre. With 15 choices, from picture books to horror to romance, you’re sure to find helpful suggestions for any reader in your life Sign up for one or for many! To subscribe, go to our website, click on “Contact Us” and choose “Subscribe to Newsletters.”
Three: Get great ideas from NoveList, a free search tool provided through our website: choose NoveList under the “Book Recommendations” topic. Enter your library barcode and PIN. Start by selecting an age/ audience for your books, then your personalized browsing adventure begins!
Does your nephew love Captain Underpants? Search “Captain Underpants” and choose “Series read-alikes” to see a list of books that are similar in style. Is your aunt obsessed with Sweden? Choose the “location” filter and type in Sweden to get books that are set in that country or involve Swedish characters. Does your brother-in-law only read thrillers? Choose the genre filter for “suspense thrillers” and get access to multiple lists of specific ideas. For each book, you can read a brief description of the plot, plus the tags for genre, pace, story, and mood. For children’s books, you’ll find information about reading level, too. Each search produces a wealth of information and ideas.
Happy book-giving this holiday season!
Jean is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Central Branch. She loves talking about books with people of all ages, but especially enjoys leading the Heavy Medals book club for fourth and fifth graders, exploring award-winning books of all genres.
As the dark days at the end of the year approach, we look to holidays and gatherings to bring us together with loved ones. Across the world, there are traditions for people to come together in warm places, with good food, to celebrate being sheltered from the cold. We often see a lot about Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa in the media, but winter holidays extend beyond those, from the Festival of Lights to Solstice celebrations. The dark months are a great time to come together, reflect, and curl up with a good book.
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights celebrated predominantly in India, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. And around the time of the winter solstice, many cultures have festivals that celebrate the return of the sun and the gradual lengthening of days. Yule, or Midwinter, is an ancient pagan festival observed by Germanic peoples. It involves decorating with evergreens, burning a Yule log, and feasting. The winter solstice also marks the beginning of Bodhi Day for Buddhists, commemorating the enlightenment of Buddha under the Bodhi tree.
Not everything during the dark days is warm however; if you’re looking for a scary story to keep you tucked warm underneath your sheets, explore the stories of Krampusnacht, celebrated on December 5 in the Alpine regions of Europe. Krampus is a horned, demonic figure who accompanies St. Nicholas, punishing misbehaving children in contrast to St. Nick’s rewarding of the good. Explore our collection of folklore and mythology books to learn more about this captivating figure.
Whether you’re indulging in festive treats, or simply enjoying the cozy company of loved ones, the winter holidays offer a chance to embrace the darkness and find the light within. Visit your local branch to explore books, films, and resources that delve deeper into these rich cultural traditions and tell your local librarians about your own favorite winter holidays, as we keep each other in the light this year.
How to Wrap (Almost) Anything For ages 10+ and adults. Learn more at bit.ly/wrap_anything Learn how to wrap gifts of varying shapes and sizes this holiday season. All materials (including wrapping paper and boxes to practice on) are provided, and you are also welcome to bring your own. Tue, Dec 3 from 7 – 8 pm at HCLS Glenwood Branch Sat, Dec 21 from 11 am – 12 pm at HCLS Glenwood Branch
Jan Brett’s The Mitten: Story and Dramatic Play Ages 5 – 8. Ticket required. Tickets available 15 minutes before class. Cozy up and celebrate the winter season with Jan Brett’s classic adaptation of the Ukrainian folktale, The Mitten! Act out the story and make an adorable craft. Tue, Dec 3 from 6:30 – 7:15 pm at HCLS Central Branch
Family Movie Time: Encanto Día de las Velitas/Little Candle Day All ages/Families. Let’s celebrate “Little Candles’ Day” by watching Encanto and making a craft related with this traditional Colombian holiday which takes place every year on December 7. The tradition consists of lighting candles and lanterns. Encanto (2021) Rated PG Deep in the Colombian mountains, the Madrigal family possesses an extraordinary secret. Each member of the family is able to perform magic, except for 15-year-old Mirabel, who does not seem to possess any unusual abilities.Mirabel struggles to reconcile her place within her family while searching for who she truly is. Sat, Dec 7 from 2 – 4 pm at HCLS Elkridge Branch
Winter Celebration All ages. Tickets available 15 minutes before start of class. Winter time is here! Listen to stories, learn about what animals do in the winter, and make awesome crafts to celebrate the season. Sat, Dec 28 from 2 – 2:45 pm at HCLS Elkridge Branch
Noon Year’s Eve Families. Ticket required. Free tickets available 15 minutes before class. It’s Noon Year’s Eve! Not staying awake until midnight? Ring in the new year early with stories, dancing, and a special countdown. Tue, Dec 31 from 11:30 am – 12:15 pm at HCLS Savage Branch
Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! If you wish to do some reading about gratitude, please stop by a branch and ask for recommendations – our staff loves sharing their favorites.
If you’re still in need of recipe ideas for the coming weekend or the holiday season, the library has a considerable collection of cookbooks at every branch – and some great magazines available on Libby.
On behalf of all the HCLS staff who write and edit for Chapter Chats, enjoy your celebrations this holiday season with family, friends, and loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving!
Goals for the holidays must include laughing out loud. Serious humor bursts the stress bubble, making shopping go quicker, cooking smoother, and socializing more relaxed. Also, it never hurts to take some solid jabs at consumerism.
First stop, Jean Shepherd’s classic, A Christmas Story. This gem can be found as a book,e-audiobook, movie, and musical soundtrack at HCLS. Shepherd gained fame as a radio announcer who included comedy stories in his show. A Christmas Story is his autobiographical tale of nine-year-old Ralphie who wishes for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He is stymied by the adults in his life who respond, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Along the way, Ralphie’s dad wins an unusual prize in a puzzle contest, a provocative lamp shaped like a leg in a fishnet stocking. There’s an unforgettable scene where Ralphie’s friend, Flick, takes on the dare of whether his tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole. Spoiler alert: it does.
Need a good laugh and can’t spare much time to read? Go for just one short story, “Christmas Means Giving” by David Sedaris. In fact, if there’s no time to read it, or even if there is, listen to Sedaris’ own charming presentation of this tale of woeful holiday excess. Sedaris reimagines loving thy neighbor and the joy of giving. Who can resist a Christmas card that includes a friend’s stock portfolio? To keep the merriment going, listen to “SantaLand Diaries” as well, picturing the man behind the voice as an elf at Macy’s, assisting in the mayhem that is getting photos taken with Santa in midtown Manhattan. Both essays can be found in Holidays on Ice, available in many formats: print, e-book, e-audiobook, digital audio, and audio on CD. “Christmas Means Giving” is also in Sedaris’s The Best of Me collection that includes many of the writer’s best works and is available in print, e-book, e-audiobook, and audio on CD.
“My personal Festivus would include both latkes and Christmas cookies,” affirms Hannah Hart in My Drunk Kitchen Holidays!: How to Savor and Celebrate the Year. The intoxicated and intoxicating chef wants to be sure everyone can make a “decent” latke with her “Love the Way You Latke” recipe that includes the important step of removing all extra moisture from the potatoes and onions before cooking. Hart is okay with skipping the holidays but doesn’t want anyone missing out on unique, delicious food and drink. Because Hart wants readers to take care of themselves, the cookbook even has a face mask recipe. For more year-round joy, explore her “MyHarto” YouTube channel. Remember, everything’s more festive served in a wine glass, especially mashed potatoes. Cheers!
Cherise Tasker is an Adult Instructor and Research Specialist at the Central Branch. When not immersed in literary fiction, Cherise can be found singing along to musical theater soundtracks.
The Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity for families to gather at the dinner table, express their love, enjoy each other’s company, and give thanks for what life has to offer. On Thanksgiving Day, people watch the parade in New York, the national dog show, and football games, but the holiday feast is the main event. Many families showcase a variety of food choices from their respective regions or countries.
Some families could decide to have mashed potatoes with their turkey instead of macaroni and cheese. Many people prefer collard greens to green bean casserole, or sweet potato pie over pumpkin pie. Apple, cherry, and blueberry pies might also make an appearance. Even though turkey, ham, and other meats can be served during Thanksgiving, plenty of plant-based or meatless options are now available for vegans and vegetarians. Many pescatarians will have seafood as one of their main entrees for their feast.
Being thankful for the time that you spend with your family and friends is vital. Our society has had its recent share of trials and tribulations, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic. We as a nation have a lot to be thankful for. So please, cherish the people you love and the time you have to celebrate together during this holiday season.
Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at HCLS Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.
Welcome to the Year of the Tiger! The Lunar New Year is the most important social and economic holiday for billions of people around the world. Tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the holiday was originally observed as a time to honor household and heavenly deities and ancestors. Today, Lunar New Year brings friends and family together for feasting and festivities in China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Mongolia, and other countries all over the world.
This website, recommended by our presenters, offers a helpful guide where you can discover more about everything from food and drink to clothing and decorations for Lunar New Year celebrations. In addition, we have an assortment of books and other materials available at HCLS to help families learn and celebrate.
In recognition of this significant holiday, HCLS is celebrating with an online class, Learn About the Lunar New Year Celebration, in partnership with Howard County Chinese School. A panel of middle and high school students and parents share the histories and traditions of the Lunar New Year celebration in a variety of Asian American Pacific Islander sub-communities. Join us on Saturday, Feb 5 for a combination of short presentations, Q&A, and interactive educational games with prizes.
Additional upcoming children’s classes with Lunar New Year-themed sessions include:
Howard County Library System wishes you all the best during the holiday season. Thank you for reading our new blog, which we began in May. We hope you’ve enjoyed the reviews and maybe discovered a new electronic resource or two.
We published nearly 95 posts this year; here were some of the most-read posts of 2020:
Bypass the News Paywall Jessica listed the many newspapers that HCLS subscribes to … so you don’t have to!
Most people in the United States have heard of Chanukah. Though there are about six different accepted spellings for the holiday, “Chanukah” has always been my preference and that’s what I’m going with here. You may know it is the festival of lights. Many even know the tale of the oil that was only enough for one day miraculously lasting for eight days. Growing up, I always learned that while the oil was a fun story, the true triumph of Chanukah was that a small band of resistance fighters defeated a larger, more well-equipped military force. My family celebrates by playing dreidel, cooking and eating latkes, and, of course, lighting the candles. Although we exchange gifts, I’ve never felt like that is the most important part.
While Chanukah is not among the most sacred Jewish holidays, it is a time of joyous celebration, and we certainly want to take advantage of every opportunity for that during this challenging year. If you’re looking to introduce your child to some Chanukah-themed stories, take a look at these titles from the HCLS collection. Clicking on any of the titles below will open a tab with that title listing in our catalog.
Chanukah with Your Favorite Characters: Many familiar children’s book characters have a book in which they celebrate Chanukah. Here are a few of those titles.
You might know Dear Dragon from the expansive series by Margaret Hillert. In this volume, a boy and his pet dragon learn about Chanukah from a Jewish friend.
Fables and Folk Tales Related to Chanukah: While not telling the historical tale that is celebrated on Chanukah, these stories show characters overcoming obstacles to celebrate Chanukah.
Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat provides a twist on the traditional magic pot story. A young girl is rewarded for a good deed with a magic pan that cooks up latkes (potato pancakes) on command, but when her younger brothers can’t remember the words to make it stop, they end up with more than they expected.
This volume shows readers a way that families of different backgrounds can combine their traditions into meaningful celebrations for everyone. While dealing with what may be a familiar sibling interaction to many, the main characters honor both their father’s Jewish and their mother’s East Indian heritage.
I remember reading books about the All-of-a-Kind Family growing up, so I was excited to see this picture book arrive on our shelves. A Jewish immigrant family living in the tenements of New York City in 1912 celebrates Chanukah together, with interactions that feel familiar even today.
Even though this title is in our picture book collection, it walks readers through the step of preparing olive oil to light in an old-fashioned Chanukah menorah, from beginning to end. Follow a young Israeli girl as she watches the olives grow and helps her family harvest them before finally lighting some of the oil on the first night of Chanukah.
Howard County hosts a community Chanukah candlelighting every year. This year, due to safety concerns, the event will be virtual. It will take place on December 14 at 7 pm. If you’d like to join from the comfort of your own home, register at https://www.jewishhowardcounty.org/calendar/chanukah-menorah-lighting. Happy Chanukah!
Eliana is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Elkridge Branch. She loves reading, even if she’s slow at it, and especially enjoys helping people find books that make them light up. She also loves being outside and spending time with friends and family (when it’s safe).
CHAPTER CHATS 