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This week we’re hoping to keep you warm with hot reads. Our hosts discuss hot books coming out soon that we’re excited for as well as newish books that are a little (or a lot!) steamy. Some major authors have new books coming out and there’s even a new collaborative book featuring major authors. Tune in to also hear about books that may not be on your sizzle radar.

Books we discussed in this episode

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What’s Next?

The next episode of The Bookmark drops January 29, 2024!

Previous Episodes

• The Bookmark S5E17: Local 2023 book picks
• The Bookmark S5E16: Best books of 2023
• The Bookmark S5E15: Winter reading plans
• The Bookmark S5E14: Unboxing More ARCs
• The Bookmark S5E13: Unboxing advance reader copies

Meet your Hosts

Autumn Friedli, Chris Blocker and Miranda Ericsson relish talking books with recurring readers and special guests from the library and community in The Bookmark.

Thanks for listening! We love to hear from listeners.

The post The Bookmark S5 E18: Hot reads for cold weather appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

I recently learned my archive work in the 1990s was not in vain. During the ’90s I worked with Warren Taylor in the Topeka Room/Special Collections/Genealogy area of the library. On a daily basis Warren would look at the Topeka Capital-Journal and mark articles of local interest that we would place into the vertical file archive of the Topeka Room.  

I was given a database program and began indexing these articles into it. We used the Library of Congress subject heading guidelines to keep everything as cohesive as possible. The scope and quantity of the items grew as my familiarity and comfort level in the process expanded. Ultimately included were items like the Daily Record, wedding announcements, birth announcements and obituaries all with individual’s names. 

It was a great help for a while. My work on that index ended when I moved to Red Carpet Services where I select and deliver items to older adults in congregate living sites. It wasn’t until around 2010 that we realized the information did not match the microfilm we had. We discovered the issue on the microfilm was not the same as the hard copy I used originally. It felt like a decade of work was wasted. 

Newspaper index success

Working in the Topeka Room recently a woman came in asking about wedding announcements and locating them in the newspaper. We chatted and she said the time period was for the 1990s. Needless to say, I was cautious but excited to try.  

I showed her our Local Newspaper Index. We put in the names she was searching for and easily found them. Not only did it pull up the wedding announcements, but also the engagement announcements and the filing for a license. I printed off the citations for both events, pulled the microfilm from the drawers and went to the scanning machine. 

Not only were the dates correct, but the page numbers were as well!  

Searching newspaper index

The process is not difficult, but there are a few steps. 

If you go to the Local History Resources page, there is a link to the Newspaper Index in the Topeka & Shawnee County History section. Here’s the direct link to the Local Newspaper Index.

You’ll notice the top menu of this page also has Obituaries if you want to only search the Obituary Index.

 This search is where you can type in any combination of words to find the articles you want. It is automatically a “keyword” search so it looks for any of the words in the entire record. 

I am also a professional musician and am part of The Castle & Cross Consort so this is the search I will do. You will see that there are four articles indexed. 

Clicking on the first article will give you the abstract showing all the details available. Unfortunately, this full article is only on microfilm. 

The “next” button at the top right will take you to the other citations. Note the date, page and column number to be sure to find the proper reel of microfilm. 

As you can see, the process isn’t complex, as long as you know that it is there and where to look. I’m glad that a decade of my career is still there for everyone to use. 

The post Finding local & family history in Newspaper Index appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

High Five written by Anna Rubi & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Get ready for the high five contest! Stretch those fingers and learn hand slapping with style. This is a hilarious, interactive book that begs to be read again. And again.

Something Stinks! by Jonathan Fenske

Eww! What is that smell? Readers are encouraged to help skunk locate the disgusting smell with laughs along the way!

Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance! by Herve Tullet​

​​Kids bursting with energy? Here’s the perfect book for them! The book is a ​dance floor and hands are the dancers. Bold colors, shapes and motion encourage active participation.

How to Talk Like a Bear written by Charlie Grandy & illusrated by Zlex G. Griffiths

Follow this funny how-to-guide on bear speak. You’ll be fluent in no time!

View complete list

The post Great Read Alouds: Can’t sit still appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

My taste in music is all over the place, but some of my favorites are songs I can “dance” to while driving, cooking or cleaning. Here’s a look into some of the albums I’ve been listening to in the car and at home, while I am dance-cleaning (or cooking or driving) like no one is watching. 

Use Me by Pvris Hoopla / CD 

Pvris is a new-to-me find. I still have only listened to their third album, released August 2020, simply because I have not tired of these songs yet, especially the first half of the album.

The opening track “Gimme a Minute” starts slow but builds to a fun beat and a very dance-able chorus. The lyrics are easy to really belt out in the car. Where the second track gives me hints of early Tegan and Sara and a heavier alt-pop lean. The song “Stay Gold” is a pop-y, groovy bop reminding me of Rilo Kiley circa Under the Blacklight. ”Good to Be Alive” is more reflective, less dance party, with lyrics that really hit some days:  

Lost big dreams that I really don’t need
Everything I love’s gonna find a way to leave
Got good friends that I never can see
Always on the run when their plans are free 

We get a couple more fun dance tracks before the album takes a quieter turn, with dreamier tones, more wistful lyrics and acoustic guitar. The album ends with the sultry “Use Me” and the dance-beat track “Wish you Well.” 

Free Love by Sylvan Esso Hoopla 

Free Love is the third album from Sylvan Esso, an electro-pop duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn from North Carolina. Meath is part of the folk trio Mountain Man. Sanborn is the producer and bassist of Megafaun. Sylvan Esso has become one of my favorite listens, and Free Love exemplifies their unique sound. 

The album opens with one of their most minimalistic tracks with dreamy lyrics and looping that kicks off a slew of bouncy, synthy songs. This is where I recommend turning up the bass and the volume. “Ferris Wheel” is a super fun bop, recalling the carefree fun of summers when we were young. The energy of “Train” is infectious, filled with hand claps and clever wordplay. Sylvan Esso changes the vibe for slower, synth-heavy “Numb,” but still makes it a track I can’t help but dance to. The calmer vibes continue into “Free and Frequency,” which highlights Meath’s beautiful, dreamy vocals. 

The album is short, with the 10 tracks coming in at 30 minutes, but it manages to tackle a range of emotions and topics. ”Runaway” sounds like another synth-heavy, catchy dance song. However, the duo wrote it in response to their anxiety around gun violence at concerts. “Rooftop Dancing” has a sweet and simple sound, despite the samples, drum machine and vocal layers. “Make It Easy” ends the album, working like a bookend with the first song What If – minimalistic and slow-building.  Sylvan Esso continues to explore their unique sound in their most recent album No Rules Sandy.  

Vagabon by Vagabon Hoopla 

When I need a different vibe, self-titled album Vagabon is the answer. It’s a great choice for an easy drive with the windows down. This is the second album from Laetitia Tamko (stage name Vagabon) who wrote and produced the album. I found Vagabon by way of Courtney Barnett (whose first album is one of my all time favorites) because they toured together in 2018. 

Where her first release was a more guitar driven indie-rock album, this second album leans electro-pop – like Sylvan Esso, however, Vagabon is not filled with dance tracks. Vagabon begins and ends with the same song “Full Moon in Gemini.” The first track opens with Vagabon’s beautiful vocals as well as strings and synth beats. The last track is the same song minus the dream-pop sound performed primarily by indie band Monako.  

In the song “Flood” Vagabon’s deep voice drips over the synth sounds and beats. It reminds me of the moody mid-2000’s vibes of Imogen Heap/Frou Frou. “In a Bind” sits in the middle of the album, and the acoustic guitar, simple vocals and backing chorus act as a bit of an intermission from the more synthesized sound of tracks like “Secret Machine,” “Water Me Down,” and “Wits About You.”

“Please Don’t Leave the Table” and “Home Soon” are layered, ethereal and orchestral. Vagabon’s unique voice and delivery gives us songs full of emotion without being lyric heavy. 

Vagabon has called “Every Woman“ the thesis of her album. She said, “It’s an ode to all those who feel different and who actively search and fight for space.” Even though the song is soft and slow, it feels powerful and affirming. It’s the perfect ode for the women I know. 

Evening starts when I’m done
It won’t be long before
All the women I meet are tired
They just kick up prior
‘Cause we’re not afraid of the war we brought on
And we’re steady while holding on 

The post Music that makes you dance appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

I can hear some of you already, “What is a Cricut machine? How do you even say that name?” A Cricut machine (sounds like “cricket”) cuts various types of flat materials like paper and vinyl very precisely and it is incredibly good at intricate projects. It cuts with a fine, rotating blade so it can change direction as needed and it cuts really fast.

Time for tutorials

I needed to get some tutorials under my belt and see this cutting machine in use. There are quite a few steps when using the Cricut and I wanted to feel more confident when I started my projects. The library has an awesome subscription to Creativebug, which includes many different creative classes and Learning Journeys. Creativebug has curated a set of 7 classes in the Intro to Cricut Learning Journey that taught me about the Cricut machines as well as demonstrated it in action by different creators. There are more than 1000 classes using the Cricut on Creativebug so I really appreciated having this intro set to get off on the right foot with my Cricut projects.

Cricut also has an extensive collection of videos and guides at Cricut.learn. In the library’s catalog we have books and ebooks where you can learn more about cutting machines like the Cricut.

Practice time

Designs I created on the Cricut

At this point I’d watched videos, had some ideas, and wanted to make something of my own. Cricut has their own design software called Cricut Design Space, which tells your machine what and how to cut. There’s a definite learning curve to this program. In the classes I watched I’d caught some tips and tricks, but doing it myself is where I really started to figure out what the tools could do.

My goal was pretty basic: design something fun in Cricut Design Space using the editing tools, walk through the steps to cut the design into adhesive vinyl on the cutting mat, weed the extra material, attach transfer tape, and prep for adhering to the final product. Remember, I told you there are quite a few steps!

Challenge Unlocked

My Cricut design in use

I did it! In fact I made a whole bunch of small vinyl projects that are ready to stick to tumblers, journals and backgrounds. I feel more confident and ready to start my next project because I unlocked the Cricut challenge!

If you hear the call of the Cricut like I did, head over to the Level 2 Tech Center website to complete your required orientation where you’ll learn more about the space and library best practices. You can start learning today with all the resources at hand and be ready for your own Cricut challenge in the near future. When you’re ready reserve time on the library’s Cricut.

The post Artsy Crafty Library: Cricut Challenge appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.