Mercer County Library Blog

BookCon, a two-day event held at the Javits Center in New York City, is a convention that focuses on bringing the reading community together. Readers, publishers, and authors come together and eat, sleep, and breathe all things books. The first BookCon was in 2014, and the previous BookCon event was back in 2019. There were plans for one in 2020, but it was cancelled because of the pandemic. However, it was announced in late 2025 that the Con was back in action and would once again be held at the Javits Center in April 2026. My coworker, Alyssa, and I agreed we HAD to go! And somehow (pure luck) we were able to buy tickets on the first day they went on sale. It’s good that we did, because about 30 minutes later, both Saturday and Sunday tickets were sold out. Once those tickets were secured? Game. On. We mapped out the day to ensure we’d be able to visit author signings, panels, and booths. We even created bookmarks and keychains with book quotes on them during our spare time at hom...

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 ...

You may remember my writing about the Bucks County Ale Trail in one of my earlier posts. Highlighted on the tee shirt I received from visiting a certain number of breweries on the trail was Tranquility Brewing Company in Warminster. That’s one I hadn’t visited, so I started planning a day trip. Tranquility Brewing is in a building called “The ‘Fuge”. Huh…that’s an odd name. I had to know more. This began a fascinating dive into history. Did you know that Warminster was a major site for aeronautics research? After reading a bit on the internet, I found that there is a museum there dedicated to the history of the Naval Air Development Center and the Johnsville Centrifuge (a-ha – that’s what the ‘Fuge is!). A visit to the museum (and brewery) was on the schedule! A little backtracking to explain my interest – I’ve read many books about the space program. I wouldn’t say I’m into “space”, but I like learning about the engineering and what the scientists and astronauts worked through to g...

I’ve been travelling recently. Seeing parts of the United States I’ve never been to and visiting new countries is something I had always wanted to do, and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to realize that dream. Like the protagonist in many of the stories we’ve read, I’ve learned that you need to leave and return before you realize that what you were looking for was in front of you all this time. The Mercer County Library System offers a great selection of museum passes that are all local and full of opportunities for you to learn. Here is a list of our current offerings as we move into 2026. If you want to do some research on opportunities beyond the library’s museum passes, feel free to explore the travel section at your local branch. Our Mid-Atlantic Region can be found in section 917.4! Most passes that we offer are digital and can be sent directly to your email, so you don’t even need to worry about picking them up and dropping them off: Academy of Natural Sciences Admits two a...

You might not think of memoir as a genre that lends itself to invention – it’s supposed to be true. But memoir is a literary form that can be inventive and innovative, in its form and prose style. I hope to show you, with a list of examples, just how imaginative memoir can be. Some of the books below incorporate dreams, formal experiments, and even fiction to get at an emotional truth and tell the story of a life or lives. I included pieces of publishers’ descriptions in quotation marks, and my own words alongside. Pathemata, or, The Story of My Mouth by Maggie Neslon “ Pathemata merges a pain diary chronicling a decade of jaw pain with dreams and dailies, eventually blurring the lines between embodied, unconscious, and everyday life. In scrupulously distilled prose, Pathemata offers a tragicomic portrait of a particularly unnerving and isolating moment in recent history, as well as an abiding account of how it feels to inhabit a mortal body in struggle to connect with others.” I...

Summer is here and many people take time to travel. While some travel abroad, sometimes we forget that there is so much to see right here in the United States. What better way to see the US than a road trip? Road tripping may not be appealing to everyone, but it is a great way to take in the majestic beauty of the country. I have taken many road trips, from short distances to thousands of miles. I have learned that there are several things that must be done to prepare for a trip. First is to plan your route. What is the destination that you are looking for? For most places there are many different routes that you can take. However, I feel the most important thing to consider are the options along the way. Interesting stops, sites to see, and fun activities to do. Taking the time to explore local towns - sometimes just the local food is well worth the stop! This step can take some considerable research but is well worth the time. Add in spontaneous stops, too - you never know what you ...

One of my colleagues at the library went on vacation last summer and told me about a cool activity she and her family tried – railbiking! I was intrigued. As you may know from reading other posts I’ve written, I’m a big hiker. I used to bike a lot when I was younger but have gotten out of the habit – this sounded like a way I could do some biking but in a completely new way. A railbike looks a lot like an old-fashioned railroad handcar – one of those things you might remember seeing in Westerns or cartoons. Instead of having to pump a handle to move, you and one-to-three of your friends sit in a recumbent bike position and peddle. The railbike has special wheels – like what’s on a train – so it can ride on railroad tracks. There are many railbiking companies around but the one I used is Revolution Rail in North Creek, New York. They also have a railbike tour in Cape May, New Jersey . Once railbiking was decided upon, the next step was to build a trip around that activity. North Cree...

This may sound a little cliché, but Great Britain always has a special place in my heart. It’s not because I’m an Anglophile or a big fan of the Royal family, but more because of my dad and connections to my family. My dad grew up in England, so I was exposed to the history and culture of the land more times than I can count. I will be going on a trip to England and Scotland in the latter part of March with my older sister. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been there, as I’ve been to England a few times over the years. The last time, I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home to the famous bard, William Shakespeare. I also went to Whitby, whose abbey features in the Bram Stoker classic, Dracula. This is the first time I’ll be going to England without my dad and the first vacation I’ll be taking with just my sister. While we’re there, we will visit family members, go sightseeing, and have a good time eating the local cuisine. My sister went full steam ahead on planning this trip (funn...

I’ve been to some fascinating places, but never before Europe. Quite possibly, while you are reading this, I’ll be in Paris! While many people visit Paris in the summer, I’m looking forward to the crisp air of fall, fewer crowds, and I won’t even mind the occasional rain. What makes it even more special is that I’m going with my three siblings to visit our French relatives.  We are looking forward to getting a personal tour of the city and its history. I don’t know too much about Parisian history, but I am relying on the library system’s expansive selection of nonfiction materials, and even novels, to learn more. Here are just a few interesting titles: Paris: Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light by Mary Sperling McAuliffe This multilayered exploration of Paris weaves a narrative that takes the reader into secret and hidden places, even amid the most well-known Paris destinations. Top 10 Paris by DK Publishing, Inc. Capital of romance and revolution, a maz...

My former co-worker, Tom, is a beer aficionado. If you’ve read my beer-related post of November 2018 , you’ll know I credit him with teaching me what to look for to find beer I enjoy. Since then, I’ve visited several more craft breweries in New Jersey and have recently branched out into Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The impetus for this branching was discovering the Bucks County Ale Trail . Here was a framework to explore the county across the river and become better acquainted with the towns I may only have heard of or driven through before. One of my best memories of the summer is visiting Perkasie, Pennsylvania. Perkasie is home to at least three craft breweries – I have tried one, the Van Lieus Brewing Company .  The reason the town brings up good memories is because I had walked a trail there many years ago and had been trying to find the name of it for the past few years.  All I could vaguely remember was that there was a carousel up on a hill, a pedestrian sus...