Anythink blog
Discovering "Avatar" as a New Fan – and the Elements
Jun 30 2021
For the past ten years, I saw "Avatar" ("Avatar: The Last Airbender," not the James Cameron movie) floating around various pop culture outlets and heavily represented at Comic-Cons. I associated it as a...
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A friend of "Friends" 'til the end
Jun 18 2021
I was 16 when I tuned into the pilot episode of "Friends...
Nesting after COVID
May 21 2021
I was looking around my bedroom the other day and thinking “We should repaint this.” Our bedroom is currently a lovely light lavender-grey, a color picked not even two years ago. There isn’t anything wrong with it. In fact, it’s barely been up long enough for me to dislike it or grow sick of it....
The COVID-19 community memorial at Anythink Wright Farms
May 21 2021
I remember a heavy conversation I had recently with a coworker about COVID-19. We talked about how in our everyday life, and in conversations with people, we were struggling to really voice the magnitude of loss. I mean, how do you grieve half a million people? How do you understand the amount of...
The Third Annual Retroactive Academy Awards
May 19 2021
How will we look back on the 2021 Academy Awards in 5, 10 or 20 years? Will Chloe Zhao or Daniel Kaluuya have another couple of (well-deserved) trophies in the bag? Will we still (rightly) cherish Youn Yuh-jung’s performance in...
Film in the time of quarantine
Apr 2 2021
It's been over a year since I've stepped inside a movie theater. Coming from this cinephile, that is a telling statement about this surreal time we're all experiencing. While I'm grateful to also be living at a time when shutdown and quarantine have not had to mean missing out on new flicks, I ache...
Power in petticoats
Mar 17 2021
With March being National Women’s History month, I started thinking about how far women’s history has come and especially about all the women who have been making history just in the past few years alone. In the 2020 election, there were a record number of women running for office. Kamala Harris...
The culture diary
Mar 12 2021
I’m not typically one for New Year’s resolutions. Like a lot of people, I go full Ron Popeil Rotisserie with them: set it and forget it. I usually prefer to forgo the annual self-inflicted guilt-fest that resolutions tend to...
The most anticipated political books of 2021
Jan 22 2021
The past year has been tumultuous year politically, and at the dawn of a turning over in Washington, political books are set to again be all the rage in 2021 – just as they made up the best seller's lists in 2020. Here are some of the most anticipated upcoming books from citizens and authors that...
Take on a reading challenge
Jan 19 2021
I have never successfully completed a reading challenge. For years, I have fine-tooth combed the many challenges offered by various blogs and celebrities. I choose one that sparks my interest and set out in a grand attempt to fulfill the listed requirements. My gusto rarely lasts past March and I...
The (terrible, horrible, no good, very bad) year in (great) music
Dec 23 2020
I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but this was a tough year – a recap of it is unnecessary. We all know the myriad ways in which 2020 was difficult and challenging. What is always necessary, however, is a recap of the year in music – even if the year felt like a decade.
Despite the...
A very merry, diversionary Christmas
Dec 21 2020
I am a Halloween person. I'm talking an all-year-round, 24/7 Halloween person. Just the thought of October 31 still makes my stomach churn with excitement, the way Christmas morning kind of ceased to long ago.
This year, however, I must cop to a certain bowl-full-of-jelly type feeling creeping up...
Curbside services in 5 easy steps
Dec 21 2020
While Anythink libraries are closed to the public due to COVID-19, you can still get all of the great books, movies and more with our curbside services. Here's how you get started.
How to Use Curbside Services in 5 Easy Steps
1. Log in to your library account at...
Feeling anxious? Discover health resources at Anythink
Nov 19 2020
It’s not a stretch to say that Americans are suffering from unprecedented amounts of anxiety in 2020. COVID, job insecurity, loss of work, politics, a discussion about systematic racism, political upheaval ... all of these things have been thrown at us this year in an unending hailstorm of change...
At-home learning tips from a teacher: Let’s get moving!
Nov 13 2020
In my experience as a classroom teacher, movement breaks throughout the day were vital in keeping children engaged and preparing them to learn. In fact, my class always started the day with morning exercises. This included everything from stretches to breathing activities to jumping jacks. As the...
A discovery of candied lemon rind
Nov 3 2020
Potlucks kind of make me panic; I’m a big fan of food that makes sense together. Yet, I enjoy the challenge of putting foods from different cultures together when their basic ingredients are complementary. This is easier when you do all the cooking yourself and just invite your guests to show up...
Spooky YA reads for Fall 2020
Oct 27 2020
Let’s be honest: this has been a scary year already. Between COVID, the election, school closures and an unprecedented upending of life, you would think that YA readers across the board would be looking for light books – a pleasurable escape, if you will.
Yet, those who love spooky books know:...
At-home learning tips from a teacher: classroom contracts
Sep 30 2020
Before my time as a children’s guide at Anythink Libraries, I spent 7 years as a classroom teacher. I taught ages 2 through second grade, although most of my time was spent teaching pre-kindergarten. I received my master’s degree in Early Childhood General and Special Education, so I'm excited to...
Anti-racism books available without holds
Sep 4 2020
As a public library, Anythink is committed to racial equity and providing a space where everyone is welcome. As an organization, we believe in inclusion and diversity. Because of this, it's important that our collections represent the diverse community that we serve.
Below, you'll find a list of...
Reading (about) water
Aug 13 2020
Kersplash! It’s summer, and I think I’m ready to jump right in and name my favorite nonfiction book for this year. True, it’s only summer, just the second of four seasons of reading in my year. Yet I don’t want to wait to share this particular book with other readers, and in particular, those who...