Blog

The holiday season is already upon us and kids have been excitedly writing wish lists that seem to get longer with each day.  

And no toy ranks higher on children’s (and some adult’s) wish lists than Barbie. 

This enduring icon continues to be the best-selling toy each holiday season. 

That’s no small feat considering that the world’s most famous fashion doll turned 60 this year.

Continue Reading "We Can Do Anything, Right Barbie!" →

I wake up every morning to three little fuzzballs going "wheek! wheek! wheek!" 

Guinea pigs Kai, Hawk, and Ellie, came into our lives unexpectedly last winter when they needed to be rehomed.

Continue Reading "Love Me, Love My Guinea Pigs" →

Let me tell you something.

I don’t scare easy.

I say that as I jump out of my skin when someone pokes their head around the corner.

But when it comes to scary stories, I’ve been desensitized.

So it takes a special sort of creep factor to really unsettle me.

Continue Reading "Scary is Always in Season" →

I love making things.

Much of my free time is devoted to crafting: embroidering my mon (Japanese family crest) onto a tea towel, knitting my daughter's Halloween costume, cutting a garden out of paper.

And until the library opens its own Makerspace, I'm making do by turning my family room into my own defacto Makerspace (much to my husband's chagrin).

Continue Reading "Crafting on the Cheap" →

I have been working in bookstores and libraries for most of my professional career.

And I’ve recognized a distinct list of major authors whose work seems to somehow remain out of my reach due to my own magnified perceptions.

Continue Reading "We Have Come Not to Praise Books, But to Read Them" →