Mercer County Library Blog

Flowers are starting to bloom, leaves are returning to the trees, the bugs are starting to buzz, the robins are hopping around and the world is getting greener every day. Ahhh, Spring has just about sprung so here are a few titles to get you into the that Spring spirit! Spring by Ali Smith – From Man Booker Prize Finalist Ali Smith comes the third novel in her Seasonal Quartet--a New York Times Notable Book and longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2020. What unites Katherine Mansfield, Charlie Chaplin, Shakespeare, Rilke, Beethoven, Brexit,   the present, the past, the north, the south, the east, the west, a man mourning lost times, and a woman trapped in modern times? Spring. The great connective. This title was critically well received and was considered for many literary prizes.   This volume of the quartet is considered the darkest of the four titles, despite being named for a, usually, hopeful season; the season of renewed life and new hope. The bo...

Top 10 Favorite Anime TV Shows List Originating from and popularized in Japan, anime is a unique form of animation that frequently adapts Japanese comics known as “manga,” Japanese young adult “light” novels, and video games. Unlike most American animation typically geared toward general demographics, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons , anime is a medium in which a limitless array of specific stories can be told by primarily Japanese creators for audience members of all ages and backgrounds. From Studio Ghibli’s timeless cinematic masterpiece Spirited Away (2001), to Sunrise Inc.’s sprawling science fiction space western drama Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999), anime offers a bit of something for everyone. While many viewers prefer watching anime spoken in its original Japanese language with native language subtitles, others have grown accustomed to watching anime with native language dubbing (voice acting). Unfortunately, native language dubs are not always an accurate reflec...

Back in an earlier life, when I was traveling a lot for work and managing projects, people, presentations and sales, I used the Bullet Journal Method to keep everything under control and moving along in the right direction. The Bullet Journal Method allows you to create your own planner/calendar to organize your life. Because it is paper based and very simple, it won’t let you down when the internet is unavailable and it is infinitely customizable. In those days my BuJo (Bullet Journal) was very businesslike and – frankly – boring. But the goal was to make sure I showed up at my client library on time, with all the proper materials, contracts, and names – and knowing who used to be at Williams but is now at Princeton. The most exciting it got was using a colored pen or highlighter now and again. However, as soon as I looked around the web, it became obvious that the “infinitely customizable” aspect of the method had really taken off and there was a whole community of people out there w...

If 2020 has revealed anything, it is the resilience of art and the music industry. In the face of a global pandemic halting production schedules, canceling world tours, virtualizing live performances, and digitizing award shows, the music industry continues to thrive. Music can make you smile, it can make you cry, and it can heal you. I think we could all use a little bit of healing. “The show must go on”, as Freddie would sing. These musicians have released the most memorable albums of the year, in my opinion. All available through the Mercer County Library System! After Hours by the Weeknd [R&B, New Wave, and Dream-Pop] Despite the fact that the Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye) was incapable of promoting After Hours with his world tour or televised performances, he was still able to secure a #1 album on the Billboard 200 and score two #1 singles with “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” in over twenty countries. After Hours follows Tesfaye’s notable public break-ups with both model ...