Blog Entries

Settling In

I moved into a new old house recently. It feels good to settle further into my chosen home town of Ames in a more permanent way, after years of NYC apartment living. I bought an older home, an aesthetic that speaks to me; I was recalling to a colleague recently that I’d had a clawfoot bathtub in nearly every place I’d lived since graduating from college.

Older homes come with interesting layouts, smaller closets and storage challenges though. Plus, moving homes forces you to confront your stuff.  I had parted ways with many items when I moved across ... Read Full Blog

To Be Read?

One month of 2022 is already gone, which means this is the time of year to default on all those lofty goals that you made only a few short weeks ago.  I rarely make New Year’s resolutions myself with the exception of setting the number of books I want to read in the year to come.  With my goal comes a constantly-growing pile of books that I aspire to read: my TBR pile.  My TBR, or To-Be-Read, list never seems to shrink, no matter how many books I read.  My biggest problem is rank promiscuity.  When it comes to books I’m an unrestrained phil... Read Full Blog

Resources for the New Year

With the New Year comes new beginnings, new adventures and, for some, new resolutions and goals. Whether you are interested in finally finishing up that small project you keep putting off or picking up a new skill or hobby, the Ames Public Library has a wide range of books, CDs and, other materials to help you along the way.

If, in this New Year, you would like to express more of your artistic side consider checking out books on topics like woodworking, painting, drawing, knitting and so much more. If woodworking seems appealing, consider the bo... Read Full Blog

It Comes Down to Empathy

Two times recently I’ve had that bittersweet experience of reading a book I couldn’t bear to finish. Of course I finished both, and have been raving about them ever since.

A few years ago I read Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light You Cannot See.” That story, set in Nazi-occupied France, gave us two characters so real I felt like I’d been personally introduced. The story featured blind teenager Marie-Laure, whose father carved a replica of their walled city so she could learn the layout by feel, and Werner, forced into the Nazi army as a teen.

I eag... Read Full Blog

A Reading Habit

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” - W. Somerset Maugham

January is a time for starting fresh, setting goals, and building good habits. While many of us focus on starting a healthier lifestyle for our bodies, there’s a lot to be said for exercising your mind regularly!

As a child I was always reading. As an adult, not so much. Until now. Enter the Winter Reading Challenge. Okay, so it started a few weeks ago, but there’s over a month left! Just enough time to complete the ... Read Full Blog

Award-Winning Reads

It’s almost one of the most exciting times of the year for a youth services librarian! That’s right, the ALA Youth Media Awards are coming up. What does that long title even mean? These awards are a chance to, according to the American Library Association, “honor books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens.”

You might be familiar with some of the awards. The Caldecott medal, for example, is given to the illustrator with the best art in a picture book for children aged up to and including fourteen.  Some of my favorite possible ... Read Full Blog

Tough Topics: Death and Dying

Let’s talk about death.  It’s not a very comfortable subject; no one really likes to think about themselves or a family member passing away.  But whether or not we like to think about it, the reality is that death is inevitable for us all.  Another reality is that death and dying are complicated.  There are a lot of legal and financial issues that arise when someone is dead or dying, and these issues are often the responsibility of their family.  There are steps that you can take to make things easier for your family, and ensure that your wishes are ... Read Full Blog

Wintering

It is becoming colder and darker. I am not excited about winter. I don’t like being cold, and I thrive in the sunshine. This is a time that my introvert self likes to hibernate at home. If you are like me, here are some suggestions for how the library can help you enjoy this season of chilliness.

Checkout the library’s online options for reading, listening to music, or watching movies, films, and TV shows. The library’s Winter Reading Challenge is for all ages and runs from December 15th - Feb 14th. You can sign up online or through the Beanstack app. Thro... Read Full Blog

Musical Memories

Coming back to Iowa from Thanksgiving this year, the car was packed tightly. My parents were passing on some items they no longer used, so my daughter was the lucky recipient of my dad’s old stereo system--the kind with a turntable that you could stack with records.  While I remember my dad occasionally listening to classical music, what really comes back to me is my own little red portable record player. I played all sorts of records–anything we had in the house. Captain Kangaroo, Cowboy Bob and Janie, and, yes, even back then, Disney records.

Eve... Read Full Blog

Hot Reads for Cold Days: Local Romance Author Denise Williams

Denise Williams always loved stories with quirky humor and plenty of heart. Now, in addition to reading those books, she writes them too. Her novels, “How to Fail at Flirting” and “The Fastest Way to Fall” both featured prominently on a variety of lists including LibraryReads, Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, Indie Next List, and Good Morning America.

Ames Public Library (APL) is thrilled to host Denise Williams on Monday, December 6 at 7 pm for a facilitated conversation about the romance genre, her novels, and how life is different now that she’s a pu... Read Full Blog

Wrapped Up in Christmas

by Anastasia Tuckness

Holiday picture books are a delightful part of the Christmas season, their illustrations inviting readers to imagine Christmases past and present. Our library has a great section of them, shelved all together in one place for easy browsing. But maybe this year you’d like to get truly wrapped up into a Christmas story you can read over several nights, a story that can transport you back in time or off to some other place. You need a juvenile fiction Christmas story! Read on to hear about several I’ve discovered this year as I wandered the stacks looking f... Read Full Blog

How Comics Changed My Life

The library has always been a staple of my life. As a child I remember every summer I would take home my summer reading program and a different book every week. At first I would make my way through the reading program by devouring the local library’s Hardy Boys collection. Then I slowly transitioned into Choose Your Own Adventure novels before setting in on the popular Alex Rider series. I loved reading these series as I could envision kids my own age going on adventures and solving mysteries or completing “James Bond-esque” missions, and I couldn’t get enough.

H... Read Full Blog

Medium Spooky

Well, here we are in October when recommendations for scary books are thicker on the ground than the leaves falling from the trees.  I’m loathe to lean in on horror, however.  Being terrified, even when it’s seasonally appropriate, isn’t my idea of a good time.  Reading scary books or watching scary movies is sometimes compared with riding a roller coaster: you get the experience of a frightening situation while actually remaining perfectly safe.  It must be some mental block, but I generally choose to take a pass on as much terror as I can, be it re... Read Full Blog

Understanding Social (In)Justice Through the Power of Place

According to Oxford Languages, social justice is “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.” By extension, social injustice describes the opposite – a lack of justice regarding the way those privileges and resources are distributed. A solid understanding of both of these principles contributes to improved equity, diversity, and inclusion. But if you’re like me, just reading the definition isn’t enough. I always benefit from more specific examples and more in-depth conversation around complex social topics like thi... Read Full Blog

Learning to Play

Quite a few years ago, my husband and I brought home our first child.  He went back to work after a few days.  I stayed home with our daughter.  I held her, fed her, bathed her, rocked her, and repeated all of that until I couldn’t stand it anymore. 

My husband and I had planned for me to stay at home. I wanted to be home with her.  It wasn’t that I didn’t love her, and I certainly wanted the best for her.  I just didn’t know what to DO with her.  I had never been around babies, and though I had been assured that it would c... Read Full Blog