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...

When I was about 13, during a family holiday gathering, my uncle Jim played an album by an Australian group I had never heard of: INXS (pronounced “in excess”). From that day on, I started noticing their videos on MTV, and was soon collecting their records myself. INXS was active from 1977 to 2017 and, to date, they have sold over 50 million records worldwide, making them one of Australia's best-selling musical acts of all time. I was surprised to read that, although they had many number one hits in their native Australia and other countries, they never reached number one in the United States, although most of their hits reached at least top-ten status. They did receive many awards and nominations in the US, including several Grammys, along with similar recognition in other countries. The band was formed in Sydney in 1977, by several upper-middle-class teenagers. Some of the members were still in high school, and a couple were only slightly older. All had previous experience in oth...

Last year, the Wicked movie took the world by storm. Besides the insane popularity of the movie in theatres, you could not go anywhere without being inundated with Wicked content. From TV commercials to stores, there were Wicked toys, housewares, clothing, even drinks and food items. People could not get enough of Wicked. The thing is, theatre fans have known how amazing Wicked is for decades. As of this October, Wicked has been running on Broadway for 22 years, has had over 8,500 performances, there have been productions in 16 countries internationally, and it has spawned touring productions in both the US and UK. Point being, Wicked had made the rounds on stages across the world long before it hit the big screen. The Wicked movie being positively received on such a large scale has opened the doors for more people to discover the wonderful world of musical theatre. But this is hardly the first time a movie musical has generated interest in stage shows. Grease in 1978, Chicag...

There is something about this time of year, when the air takes on a chill, that makes many people, like myself, look for something to warm our hearts. Whether it's a romance novel, film, or a love song, most of us enjoy exploring the themes of love in some form. The holidays come with an assortment of expressions on these themes, but in this post, let’s look at the romance tropes themselves. What is a trope? Simply put, a trope is a commonly utilized plot device or recurring motif. There are many frequently used tropes in the Romance genre, but today we will discuss some of my favorites: Opposites Attract, Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Fake Relationship, Forbidden Love, and Love Triangle. Read on to learn what the trope is and to discover a recommended book, movie, or TV show, and a song title from an album from our collection that all exemplify it! Opposites Attract: Whether it be Grumpy and Sunshine, Shy and Outgoing, City and Country, Messy and Organized, or another exa...

A vinyl record is more than merely a recording of music. It’s a cultural artifact. Listening to records on vinyl is more than a stream of ones and zeros; the vinyl disc has a physicality that other music formats lack. For me, listening to a vinyl record on a turntable is not just a way to pass the time. When I buy a new vinyl record and place it on the turntable for the first time, hearing the warm analog sound from the speakers makes discovering new music almost an event. And the cover art brings you further into the groove while you’re listening to the music. Can anyone imagine Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band having the same generation-defining impact if it had been just audio files you downloaded from a streaming service? Looking through the vast bins of used records at the Record Exchange in Princeton and other stores which specialized in vinyl records - as well as the vinyl record collection at my local public library - was one of my favorite pastimes as a teenager. When C...

You can learn a lot about a person from the music that resonates with them, so I thought for my first ever blog post it would be fun to introduce myself through the songs that have made me who I am. Where applicable, you will find the link to the album/film you can check out from the library to experience these songs yourself. Happy listening! ATWA - System of a Down Starting off the list strong with a song I’ve listened to practically every day for almost a decade. Sounds far-fetched? I’ve been using it as my alarm ringtone since 2015! The gentle opening of the song makes for a not-so-jarring awakening, and at this point I don’t think I’ll ever be able to change it since my brain is so used to associating it with being time to wake up. I think this is a good introductory song if you want to try out listening to System of a Down. They have some really off the wall songs, and this is one of their more approachable. A bit ironic, considering the title is a reference to Charles Manson...

One of my favorite movies as a teenager was The Breakfast Club , in 1984. It had a rock-filled soundtrack, and as the closing credits were rolling, they played the song “Don't You (Forget About Me)” by the group Simple Minds. I had never heard of that group, but I liked the song. After buying it at my local record shop, I became a fan, and began looking into their previous work. After all these years, I now own all their albums, and saw them in concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ in 2018. The founders of the group, Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr, met as children growing up in Glasgow, Scotland. At a young age Charlie's mother died, but his father worked long hours, and couldn't properly care for Charlie. So Jim's family took him in. As a result, Jim and Charlie were raised as if they were brothers. They have been close ever since, and are still best friends to this day. As teenagers they became interested in music and, along with a few friends, formed a ...

Singing has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. When my brothers and I were little, our dad would play guitar while our parents sang together as part of our bedtime routine. Long road trips were made bearable by singing along at the top of our lungs to our favorite Broadway musical soundtracks (I recognize “bearable” might not be the first word that comes to mind for some readers imagining this scenario, but it worked for us!). As I got older, I joined choirs and a capella groups whenever I could. Now, I have my own young children and a husband who plays guitar, and we love making music together as a family. Most choirs rehearse right around my kids’ bedtime, which makes it too difficult for me to participate in this season of life. I was really missing the feeling of being part of a community singing together in harmony. And I realized that other parents of young children might feel the same way. In fact, there could be people of all ages who might wish for tha...