Mercer County Library Blog

What a gift it is to be able to open a book or press play for a movie, TV show, or song and be transported into another time. Historical Fiction is oftentimes one of the first ways many people encounter different cultures or time periods and it serves as both an excellent gateway to further discovery as well as entertainment. In December 2025, I wrote about some of  my favorite tropes for Romance books , and today I am pleased to discuss literary tropes within the Historical Fiction genre. Before we begin our exploration of the genre, let me provide a few definitions. A literary genre is a category of literature based on shared traits; some examples of genres include: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Romance, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, etc. Also, it is very common to see some stories contain elements from different genres. A trope is a frequently used theme or plot device. Today, we will look at some books, film (screen), and song examples of Historical Fiction that exempl...

The fuzzy needles of the dark purple-green pine tree behind my computer screen sweep up and out across the silver-framed window panels beyond the scope of my vision. Flexible branches of this tree and all healthy trees point up and out on most non-weeping varieties. As trees make pine cones, fruit, leaves, seeds, flowers, bark, needles, twigs, and sticks, the air around them improves. The buds formed in the fall now widen. "Can we be flexible palm trees?" my friend asked her children. Can we be steady and stalwart like a tulip tree? During storms, the tulip tree, ten feet from my back door, drops lichen-heavy limbs. Spiky seedpods from his good friend, a Sweetgum, create a further hazard. I look at the trees, and ideas form. Some people must work without the sight of a tree. I wonder whether they mind. Lichens are also fun to look at and think about. Rare in urban areas and often found on tombstones, Golden Moonglow lichen is a thin, dusty-green, fluttering lichen with a ro...

Hatching chicks is a special, fascinating experience! Anticipation and excitement build for approximately three weeks, and then… “cheep! cheep!” the baby chicks peck their way out! For the next two weeks, you watch their adorable antics as they figure out the world, interact with each other, double in size, and start getting feathers. The West Windsor Branch has been able to share this experience for four years now, once a year starting in 2023, and it’s something that patrons and staff look forward to each spring. For those who haven’t been able to observe each stage or for those who want to know more, read on for an overview of the process, some interesting facts about chickens, and a book list of kids’ non-fiction titles for more information, pictures, and activities. The Process Various companies and farms offer chick-raising experiences. The company we have used is Rent the Chicken. They deliver all the supplies and instructions needed for a 5-week hatching experience and then ta...

In the past year, I have fallen in love with graphic novels. Though I’ve read a handful of them before, it wasn’t until recently that I began to open myself up to everything that the medium can be. Adult, young adult, or juvenile. Sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, drama, horror, or any other genre. Fiction or nonfiction. Stand-alone or multi-book series. Comic books, newspaper strips, manga, or webcomics. Traditionally or independently published. It can be easy to pigeonhole the medium to the same few categories you are used to when you encountering them, but if you do so, you’re missing the forest for the trees! What makes a graphic novel so special? Why not read a written novel or watch an animated movie instead? Well, that is because by doing so not only would you miss out on so many stories and authors that specialize in this medium, but you could never witness the beauty that can only be found here. A book and a movie cannot be written in the same way. Prose written to reflect a cinemat...

What's Happening at MCLS: April 2026 Here are some of the events and programs from around the Mercer County Library System for the month of April. For a complete list of events at your local branch, visit the MCLS Events Calendar . April Celebrates Spring, Earth Day, Poetry, and Library Week This April, MCLS branches are filled with programming celebrating Autism Acceptance Month, National Poetry Month, Earth Day, National Library Week (April 19–25), and Easter. Join us for sensory storytimes, eco-friendly crafts, poetry events, egg hunts, and more throughout the month. For Kids Story and Snack: Bunnies Friday, March 27, 10:30 am Hickory Corner Branch Easter Storytime Friday, March 27, 3:30 pm Hickory Corner Branch Egg Hunt and Craft Saturday, March 28, 10:00 am Hickory Corner Branch Spring Egg Hunt Saturday, March 28, 2:00 pm Saturday, March 28, 2:30 pm Saturday, March 28, 3:00 pm Saturday, March 28, 3:30 pm Robbinsville Branch Easter Egg Hunt Tuesday, March 31...

If you visited the Lawrence Headquarters Branch last year, you might have seen a transformation occurring in our front garden beds — especially the birth of our native plant meadow. Have you noticed a magnificent chaos beginning to bloom outside the library doors this season? What may have once looked like an unkempt lawn is becoming a vibrant native plant meadow, a living extension of our Mercer County Library System's mission to foster growth and learning. By replacing traditional manicured grass with native species, we are doing more than just landscaping; we are restoring a vital ecosystem. These plants — like Creeping Phlox, the pollinator-favorite Purple Coneflower, and Purple love grass — are specially adapted to our local climate. Unlike typical lawns, this meadow requires no fertilizer and, once established, survives on rainfall alone. In the gardening world I came across what seems to be a common saying for perennials:  "The first year they sleep, the second y...

Eid Mubarak! On Saturday, March 14 th , we celebrated Eid al-Fitr at the Hightstown Branch with crafts, decorations, and snacks. This was our third year doing the program and the most successful one yet. It’s always wonderful to see everything come together after working so hard to create a program that will be enjoyable for both people who are familiar with the holiday, and those who are not. Growing up in New Jersey with no close relatives and few families that my parents knew well, Eid was always hit or miss. We would go to prayer in the morning, my sister and I would put mehndi (henna art) on each other, and we would eat seviyan (a pudding made with thin pasta). The rest of the day was not spent doing much. Occasionally, we would be invited to lunch or dinner at someone’s house, which for kids was more boring than being home and watching TV. We did not really decorate the house, except for putting up Christmas lights outside when Ramadan started. However, my parents would sometime...

Ever since I started hiking, I have thought about what it might be like to do a thru-hike of the entire Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia through Maine and is the world’s longest hiking path. I have hiked sections in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, but like many people, I’ve never had the time to hike the entire trail. Several times when I have hiked a part of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont, I’ve met thru-hikers at the trailhead who had nearly finished their journey hitch-hiking a ride to town. They had usually started on the trail in the southern Appalachians in March and were looking forward to finishing their hike in Maine. It sounded like a wonderful adventure. But a several month trek across nearly 2,200 miles on foot is not something to be undertaken lightly. So, it’s worth doing some research. If you are interested in trying a thru-hike sometime in the future, or if you just want to find out some more about the Appalachian Trail and the best ...

Did you know that March is Social Work Month? First celebrated in 1963, it is meant to build public support for the profession and raise awareness of all the wonderful things that social workers do. Every year, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the main professional organization for the field, picks a theme for Social Work Month that represents the current climate. This year they have designated the theme as “ Social Workers Uplift. Defend. Transform.” This captures the many different ways that social workers help people and improve their communities. Qualification to be a Social Worker What makes someone a social worker? Social worker is a professional title that designates anyone who has received a degree in the field. There are three levels of social work degrees: Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)/Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW), Master of Social Work (MSW), and Doctor of Social Work (DSW). Social work education focuses on how different systems (social experi...