#libraries are important

[margaretthotcher]

Queer Book Recommendations

It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.

Sapphic

Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin

Planning Perfect - Haley Neil

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa

The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes

Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf

This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow

Youngblood - Sasha Laurens

In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby

Achillean

We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia

Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong

Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch

I Like Me Better - Robby Weber

The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer

Emmett - L. C. Rosen

Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati

Trans Characters

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Magical Boy - The Kao

Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer

Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve

Featuring Queer People of Colour

Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa

The Loophole - Naz Kutub

Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley

Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson

Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms

Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman

Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki

[vexy-hexy]

I want to remind readers/book lovers (myself included) that while collecting books is fun, it's also not really good and is another way capitalism gets you

Books are getting really expensive nowadays, and you're eventually going to run out of space, and you may not even LIKE some of the books in your collection, but you still spent a good amount of money on that book you now see as a waste of time and money

My advice is to go to your local library (if you can. I'm aware that not all libraries across the world are as fortunate as the ones near me). Read the library copy, and only if you REALLY like the book, then get a copy for yourself, but check local used bookstores or thrift stores if it's been out for a while for much less than what you'd pay at Barnes and Nobles or Coles

On that note, if you are done with books and they are in good condition, please donate them to the libraries or to used bookstores (some used bookstores will also pay you a small amount or give you store credit for the books you bring in)

I'm still working on getting out of the claws of capitalism and supporting my community/local stores when I can, and I advise other people to do the same if you are able to

[notetoriouslylazy]

Remember periodicals? Yeah, that newspaper and magazine section you learned about in school and thought the Internet killed.

Most libraries still have them, and are updating them based on usage. One of the libraries I work at has History Today and Smithsonian Magazine which I check out every month.

When I started at the other library I work at one of my first assignments was to look at stats for our existing subscriptions, select 3 titles to cut, and recommend replacements.

Everyone I've ever talked to has loved their local library. But most of them also admit they don't go to the library because "who goes to the library anymore?"

Tons of people! We sign up new members every day! You love your library? You want to support it? Get a library card! Check out books! Check out movies! Check out magazines!

FFS one of the libraries I work for lends out ukuleles, hiking back packs, bocce sets, night vision goggles, and so much more depending on the season. Both of them lend out telescopes.

So what if you don't like to read books? We won't judge you. Come in and use the computer! Ask about our museum passes! Check out our upcoming programs! You don't have to be a bookworm to love the library. You don't even have to be literate. (Seriously, one of my friends is functionally illiterate, it's not his fault. He has learning disabilities and the school system failed to help him.)

Libraries are one of the last places in America where you can hang out for hours without the expectation of paying money.

LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE!

Unhoused? Come to the library!

New to the country? Come to the library!

Teen who needs a safe space? Come to the library!

Retiree who needs stimulation? Come to the library!

IDGAF who you are, what your background is, or how you identify. If you come into my library I will treat you as a friend and equal.

Public libraries are one of the most valuable resources for the marginalized and underprivileged in this country. Help us keep providing valuable resources to those that need them. Support your local library! Show your elected officials how much you care!

Both of the libraries I work for are facing budget cuts and everyone is upset about it but they don't make their frustration known when it matters most.

Because our biggest patrons are the disenfranchised, few of them go to the voting booth. When a town or city is facing budget cuts the library is one of the first to go. Combine that with attacks from alt right groups that want to dictate what we can and can't do, libraries are in a crisis nationwide.

My experience is no different from someone in California, Kansas, the Bible Belt, or the Pacific Northwest. We are all struggling, we're all dealing with compassion fatigue. We all need the help and support of everyone in our communities in order to keep providing the kinds of access and resources that are invaluable to millions of people across the US.

[ravenclawravings]

Slythrin: What are you doing?

Ravenclaw: Suffering.

Slythrin: Okay, why?

Ravenclaw: Because somebody took out the book I wanted from the library and now I have to wait A WHOLE WEEK to read it!

[baaikha]

The construction is finished! Look at my library!!!

This is the new Collaboration Commons. :)

[haeaster16]

“Do people even use libraries anymore now that we have the internet?”

Me:

[akabluekat]

broke: Think about all the times Harry, Hermione, and Ron solved a problem with resources they found in the library. The Hogwarts library is amazing!

woke: Harry, Hermione, and Ron could have defeated Voldemort by like the second book if Madam Pince was good at her job and put literally any effort into bibliographic instruction and collection accessibility.

(I understand that Madam Pince had to be awful for plot reasons, but my main point in this is that LIBRARIES ARE IMPORTANT and libraries are more than just a room with books)

[okayto]

Chili Recipe

I saw @luckyfilbert‘s tags on this post and thought to oblige with my all-time favorite chili recipe, courtesy of Consumer Reports.

I want to mention that I checked—like, I researched in databases until I found the original article in the October 1990 issue, and compared with my copy (below), and they're the same. (Side note: I was just able to find an article from a 27-year-old magazine. Libraries are amazing.)

(So yes, that is a picture of a photocopy of the recipe my family has been using for 27 years.)

NOW THAT’S CHILI!

The recipe makes about seven 7 1/2-ounce servings. The basic recipe costs about 75 cents a serving [in 1990] and takes just under an hour to prepare.

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium green pepper, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup) [Note: my family leaves this out because ick, peppers]

4 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/2 cup water

2 cups (16 oz.) canned crushed tomatoes

1 16-oz. can red kidney beans, with liquid

Cook beef, garlic, onion, and green pepper in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to break up meat.  Cook until onion is soft and meat has lost its pink color.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer the chili for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

Minor variations: To make the chili hotter, add cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce.  For a thicker sauce and fuller flavor, add masa (corn flour).  To improve the flavor, let the chili simmer longer; chili often tastes even better the second day, after its ingredients have had a chance to blend overnight.

Beanless chili: Follow the basic recipe.  Omit the beans; use 2 lb. of lean ground beef and 3/4 tsp. salt.

Meatless chili: Follow the basic recipe.  Omit the beef and water. Use 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to saute the garlic, onion, and pepper. Add one 16-oz. can of garbanzo beans and one 16-oz. can of pinto beans.