Archive | April, 2020

“The Lives of Those Who Tidy Thoroughly and Completely, In a Single Shot, are Without Exception Dramatically Altered”: Marie Kondo

6 Apr

Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Are you tired of trying to rearrange your house while stuck inside? Then, go to our Libby or Hoopla app and download The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.  Want to rearrange your closet but not sure how? Kondo writes about improving your home and your life. She says you need to think about what you want to feel and look like at home and in your personal life. She is a cleaning expert with a mission to help make an impact. As you read her book, you realize how much effort you really put into putting things into perspective. You think about all the decisions you have to make like the things you want to keep and things you don’t necessarily need. Now I know some people, (such as myself) are sometimes indecisive but all it takes is a deep breath and just make a decision. I think patience is something else you need when you are making many changes in your home. You also, need patience in your life because everyone needs a moment to stop and smell the flowers…right? I rated this book four and a half stars out of five.

I enjoyed reading this book and I hope you will read it too.  It is available from eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS as an ebook and digital audiobook and on Hoopla as a digital audiobook.  You can also read a previous post to get another review of this great book!

Written by:
Michelle Valle
Circulation Assistant

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Writing Prompt: A Recipe for Inspiration

3 Apr

cinnamon roll murder
With the extra time at home my son and I have been baking a different cookie each weekend. Baking is such a sensory process involving hearing the whir of the mixer, feeling the sticky batter as you knead it, smelling the aroma, looking for the right doneness and tasting your delicious treat. There are tons of memoirs, stories, and poems that have been about baking. Whether it’s a cozy mystery about a bakeshop owner  or a memoir filled with life lessons and recipes, the culinary arts can be a great place to get inspiration for your writing.

Track down your favorite family recipe and brainstorm around it. What memories do you have making it with your grandparent, parent, or your own children? What part of the world is the recipe from and how did it make its way to your own kitchen? What other things do you associate with it? You can use your brainstorming for a poem or it could work its way into a fictional piece about someone baking for a special occasion. Perhaps it will inspire a memoir.

If you don’t have a recipe on hand, it’s the perfect time to reach out to a family member or friend whose passed culinary prowess has impressed and get one from them.  Or borrow a cookbook and find a new recipe. Hoboken Residents can even take cooking classes from home with Universal Class such as bread baking 101.

This is the third in our new blog post series of writing prompts. We feature our favorite books and media with you earlier in the week, but every Friday we are sharing writing prompts to get you cooking up your own literary creations.

You can share what you are baking up with us in the comments!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Reference

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