What's Cooking with the Perch Librarian

Fall is the time for comfort food, at least it is for me. With the leaves dropping along with the temperatures, I enjoy making and eating some savory foods on a chilly day (along with a good book, naturally). Although there are some great cookbooks out there, I actually prefer exploring recipes online. That way I can look for specific recipes and even compare multiple recipes for the same dish to see which one I prefer.

So if you're wondering what are some of my favorite fall dishes, check out the following:

• Rustic Hungarian Mushroom Soup  I love almost anything with mushrooms, but this easy-to-make soup is so mushroomy and creamy you'll be wishing you had a bigger stomach. Enjoy it with a roll or a chunk of crusty bread.
• Easy Slow Cooker Beef Chili  The crockpots tend to come out more in the fall and winter, don't they? Other than sauteing onions and browning beef, this is a "dump" recipe. Pair it with this ultimate moist and tasty Cornbread recipe and you're in heaven.
• Meatloaf Supreme  There are so many meatloaf recipes out there that it's hard to choose. The ingredient that distinguishes this one from others (along with it being a recipe of American author Laura Ingalls Wilder) is your choice of sausage mixed with the beef. I like using mild Italian sausage and an extra can of mushrooms (did I mention I love mushrooms?) beside the can of mushrooms I spread on top.
• Gemma's Best Ever Irish Scones  Scones and tea--what could be better? Not much, in my opinion. Believe this tea snob when she says there are few (if any) recipes for scones that can compare. Make sure you pair this with a good cuppa.
• Polish Apple Cake  I found this recipe on a Facebook page for those interested in their Polish heritage. If you're looking for something different from your standard American pie, give this one a try. It's simple, delicious, and you can decorate the top with sliced apples to impress others.

What are some of your favorite comfort recipes for fall? Share with us!

Wishing you delectable delicacies this season from the perch.

 

Witchy Reads

Some are old, some are new. Find the perfect book for you! 'Tis the witching time of year to read of things that we may fear. Care to read of Salem's trials? Witches of the British Isles? Then come and visit for a spell. The books we like, we'll gladly tell. The cauldron's brewing--that's no joke! The library's where you won't go broke.

Now on to books that are quite charming or (who knows?) a tad alarming:

• The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian  In 1662 Boston, a woman seeking to divorce her abusive husband is tried for witchcraft. Beware of dinner utensils.
• The Nature of Witches by Rachel M. Griffin  Witches control the climate and are losing control. Now we know the real reason behind climate change!
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness  What do you get when you put a witch and a vampire together, and then mix in some daemons? The first book of an exciting trilogy filled with romance, history, adventure, and suspense.
• The Once and Future Witches  by Alix E. Harrow  Three sisters join the suffragists, use witchcraft, and change the course of history. Never underestimate a witch.
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire  Move over Dorothy. This is the backstory about the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz who wasn't always wicked.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling  The book that started the world phenomenon centering on an 11-year old boy who discovers he's a wizard and attends a school for witchcraft.
• The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem by Stacy Schiff  A non-fiction read about the most infamous witch hunt in American history.

Know other books that are divine? By all means share and post a line.

Wishing you good witchy reads from the perch.

Why You (May) Read Faster on an E-Reader

In my last post, I talked about people generally reading faster on an e-reader as opposed to a print book. This time I'm going to explore why this may be the case. I can't speak for all readers of digital books, but I will share with you some of the reasons why I probably read faster with my Kindle:

• I can adjust the font size.  I love that I'm not restricted to the publisher's font size. I can choose a size that's comfortable for my eyes to read. I can also choose a serif or sans serif font, if I'd like.
• I can read in dark mode.  If you're not aware of this, dark mode puts text in white against a black background. This makes it easier on the eyes to read in low-light situations. It's an eye-saver for me to use dark mode to read in bed at night.
• It's lighter to hold than a print book.  My Kindle weighs far less than most books. Also, I don't have to hold it open or even hold it at all (I actually have a triangular pillow pad on which to prop it).
• I can get a book anytime.  If I finish my book outside of library hours, I don't have to wait for the library to open to get my next read. I can get it at 11 p.m., 6 a.m., or whenever.

Not too long ago, someone who prefers reading print books told me I went over to the "dark side" and "drank the Kool-Aid." I replied that the dark side is pretty nice and the Kool-Aid tastes good. Not everyone may agree with me regarding the use of e-readers, and that's okay. I will say, however, to be open to different things because you just never know if you may discover something new to enjoy.

Wishing you delightful refreshments to accompany your reading from the perch.

With What Do You Read Faster?

Do you read a paper book faster or an electronic book? That is the question for today since I stumbled across this article claiming we perceive that we read faster on an e-reader.

When I first started reading ebooks on my Kindle during the pandemic, I admit that I had to adjust to reading on a screen and swiping across it to advance rather than turning a physical page. However, once I grew accustomed to using an e-reader, I was like a fish taking to water. It indeed felt like I was reading faster on a screen than a printed page. I thought that must have been my imagination. Did I really read more ebooks than print?

To get to the bottom of things, I went to my LibraryThing page to see how many print books I read throughout 2019 (my last pre-pandemic year of reading strictly print) versus how many ebooks I've read this year (post-pandemic) so far. Surprise--I listed 10 books in all of 2019 compared to 19 books in 2023 and there are still 3 MONTHS left in the year! I actually do read more on my Kindle than in print! Who knows how many books I'll have read by December 31?

According to a blog called Simone and Her Books, 66 percent of people say they read faster on an e-reader, while 34 percent say they read slower. Wow! Bear in mind that Simone didn't do a scientific study; she got these percentages from people who responded to her topic-related question on Bookstagram. If it's true that people read faster on readers, it would be interesting to ponder why that's the case, something that's best left for another post.

Do you feel you read faster on an e-reader or in print? Share with us!

Wishing you good reads (electronic or in print) from the perch.

Up for Some Death Cleaning?

Back in April I posted about helping my parents house hunt and promised to talk about adventures in moving at a later time. Well, I'm making good on that promise. I've recently returned from helping my parents move out of their New York house and brought them across the country to move into their new house in Washington State. At the time of this writing, my parents are staying at my house while waiting for their moving truck to soon arrive with all their furniture and other worldly possessions.

A big part of moving, as those of you in the military will attest, is deciding which things to keep and which things have to go. This part was especially difficult for my father, who has a tendency to keep more things than he should (like over a dozen pill boxes--don't ask). However, if you're downsizing from a bi-level house to a single level, getting rid of things you no longer need is essential.

Helping my father sort through his belongings and part with unnecessary things was a lot like Swedish death cleaning (and of course, I had to read Margareta Magnusson's The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning in the middle of the move). If you ask me, the Swedes have the right idea--clean and get rid of your unneeded stuff as you go through life so someone doesn't have to clean up your junk after you're gone. Not only does this make your house less cluttered and more organized for you now, it also makes it easier on the person settling your affairs later, leaving a good last impression of you. After all, no one wants to be remembered for being a hoarder, right?

Along the lines of Swedish death cleaning, I helped my father toss or donate quite a few things that were taking up space for far too long. Bills that were paid in the '90s, a number of key chains, 8-track tapes of polka music, clothes that weren't worn in ages or no longer fit. Items that are still being used and sentimental things, like family photographs, were naturally kept. It was a rather intense process, but well worth it and one I highly recommend for everyone at every age. I'm proud of my father for having done so well with cleaning out his things. Now, if I can only get him to part with a few of those pill boxes he insisted on keeping...

Wishing you happy death cleaning from the perch.

Movies that Speak Summer

Some movies capture summer so perfectly you can feel the sticky, humid heat and smell the barbecue along with lake water or briny ocean air. By no means is this a definitive list of movies that take place in summer, but these are some of my favorites (all of which are available at the library):

• American Graffiti  School's out and there's not much to do in a pre-tech, pre-internet world than ride around in your car and hang out with your friends at the burger joint. See a young Harrison Ford before he became big in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
• Dirty Dancing  A lakeside cabin at a family resort in New York's Catskill Mountains. A summer romance between a hunky dance instructor and a cute girl wanting to change the world in the turbulent 1960s. Expect both the expected and the unexpected.
• Jaws  The early classic of Steven Spielberg that made and continues to make people afraid of going into the water. A bigger boat is always a good idea.
• Mamma Mia  Plenty of shorts, dresses, bathing suits, beautiful Greek islands, and ABBA music to accompany the story of a young woman who invited her three potential fathers to her wedding. A guaranteed feel-good movie with a stellar cast including Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, and others.
• Mystic Pizza  A group of girls having summer jobs at a local pizza parlor in Connecticut have fun, make mistakes, and learn about relationships in this 1980s favorite featuring a young Julia Roberts.
• Rear Window  You can feel the steamy summer in New York City while watching this Alfred Hitchcock classic. A photographer with a broken leg is confined to his apartment, spies on his neighbors through his window, and finds out more than is good for him.
• A River Runs Through It  Summer in 1920s Missoula, Montana means church, family, socials, and fly fishing--lots of it--against the background of beautiful big sky country. Directed by Robert Redford, starring Brad Pitt, and based on the semi-autobiographical book by Norman Maclean.

Do you have some favorite movies set in summer? Share with us!

Wishing you happy movie-watching from the perch.

What Does a Librarian WANT to read?

How's your summer reading so far? Are you reading some good books? Still working on your TBR (to be read) list?

You may recall that last time I talked about recently published books I've read and enjoyed. In this post I'm going to share with you some new books that I would like to read but haven't gotten around to just yet:

• All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley  Can you imagine what it would be like to work as a guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with all those priceless masterpieces? This book is a firsthand account of one guard's experiences.
• Your Table is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina  I'm sure a maître d’ of swanky New York restaurants serving celebrities and the elite has a few stories to tell, and I'm curious to read about them.
• Spectacular by Fiona Davis  If you didn't know, I'm a New Yorker, born and bred. Having been in Radio City Music Hall in the past and reading some of Davis' books about other New York City landmarks, I'm excited to see how she presents the story of this famous Art Deco theatre.
• Don't Think, Dear by Alice Robb  I've always found the behind-the-scenes ballet world fascinating, and this book was written by a former student of the School of American Ballet. She discusses how the school affected her and other women, both positively and negatively, whether they went on to become professional dancers or not.
• Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash  This book is about an 11-year old English girl sent by her parents to a family in Boston to keep her safe from German bombs during World War II. After first adapting to life in America, she must then re-acquaint herself with life in England when she returns to her parents after the war.
• The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson  As I mentioned in my previous post, I enjoy reading about libraries and other librarians, real or fictional. This novel is based on a true story about a librarian who creates a library in a London Underground station to help others get through the air raids of World War II.

George R.R. Martin said, "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies." I don't know how many lives I've lived up to this point, but I do know that I love reading about different people and their lives, past and present, familiar and different.

What books would you like to read but haven't gotten around to reading? Share with us!

Wishing you many literary adventures from the perch.