Cat’s Picks: Legacy of Jim Henson’s Muppets
September 24th, 2023 would have been Jim Henson's 87th birthday. Jim Henson, the man who brought the cultural zeitgeist of the Muppets to the world of children's television (Sesame Street,…
Doomsday with My Dog: The Apocalypse Has Never Been So Chill!
Don't let the title fool you. This post-apocalyptic manga series is about as chill as they come! Hold up. A chill post-apocalyptic series? That's right! Doomsday with My Dog tells…
Recipes From Around the World
A great way to experience a different culture is by tasting their cuisine. We are fortunate to have restaurants and groceries in the Cleveland area allowing us to try authentic…
We Love Local Authors!
Here at the library, we love our local authors! And while we have many excellent titles in our Local Creators Collection, I haven't had nearly enough time to sample them…
Florence Skyline at Sunset
Explore the World With Travel Guides
Porter Public Library celebrates Welcome Week! One of the goals of Welcome Week is to help build a sense of community – a sense of “we.” Traveling and seeing the…
Check Out Our World Languages Collection!
Did you know that the library has a collection of titles in several foreign languages? Books in world languages can be easily searched in the library catalog with these instructions,…
Books with Great First Lines
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I say you should judge a book by its first line. Well, maybe not exactly, but a good first line…
The Classic of the Month: The Chinese Orange Mystery
One of my favorite parts of the Classic of the Month series is finding classics that are perhaps a little less well-known, but still really good. That's why today we're…
Lost in Life or Caught in a Crisis
Each of the books on this list has something in common. It features a main character who is either lost in life or going through a sort of mid-life crisis.…
Not a Pretty Picture: Paintings in Horror
In my opinion, art should be beautiful. If I'm hanging a painting on my wall, I want it to be something that will uplift my spirits, rather than something that…
Lewis Barnavelt: John Bellairs and More Middle Grade Scares
If you read and enjoyed the titles on my previous list of Johnny Dixon mysteries, then I have another series to recommend to you! These are the adventures of Lewis…
Save the Cat!: Writing Guides
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to write a novel. So, I poured over quite a few novel-writing guides, trying to find one that really spoke to me.…
The Adventures of Johnny Dixon: A Middle Grade Series Big on Scares
I've heard it said multiple times before that a well-written children's book should appeal not only to children, but to adults as well. And I'll fully admit that I do…
Porter Poetry
The Adult Creative Writing Group meets once a month at the Westlake Porter Public Library. The group is open to any adult interested in spending an hour indulging in some…
Health on the Shelf: Yoga, Anyone?
Yoga has numerous benefits. Yoga helps to improve stress management, cardiovascular health, mental health, balance and posture, just to name a few. If you are curious about yoga and want…
The Classic of the Month: A Study in Scarlet
Welcome back to The Classic of the Month! Today, we're looking at a classic of the mystery genre, a title famous for introducing the world to the greatest detective of…
Porter Poetry
The Adult Creative Writing Group meets once a month at the Westlake Porter Public Library. The group is open to any adult interested in spending an hour indulging in some…
Cat’s Picks: Animal Stories and Cultural Impacts
I've always been fascinated with stories filled with anthropomorphic animals since I was a kid. Anthropomorphism is, according to Dictionary.com, "the attributing of human characteristics... to inanimate objects, animals, plants,…
The Science of Spice
Creating a flavorful dish often requires ingenuity and trial and error. The right spice or spice blend can make or break a recipe, sort of like a catalyst in a…
STEAM Week: The Classic Mad Scientists of the Silver Screen
There's nothing I love more than a good mad scientist movie (except, perhaps a good haunted house movie). So, in honor of STEAM Week, I've provided a list of some…
A Second Sampler of Terror: 100 Classic Horror Films, Pt.2
A few days ago, I shared the first 50 titles of this list, which is a 100-film sampler to celebrate our Horror Film Club celebrating 100 meetings. If you'd like…
Dino-Mite Books
Freddy Fossil's Dino Show comes to the Porter Room on Monday, July 10 at 7:00pm as part of STEAM Week. To celebrate, here are some great dinosaur books in the…
A Sampler of Terror: 100 Classic Horror Films, Part.1
On July 5, 2023, the Horror Film Club will celebrate our 100th meeting! That means 100 sessions of classic chillers, every month! In celebration of our milestone, I wanted to…
Artist Highlight: The Oh Hellos
When it comes to listening to music, I have a few bands that I tend to listen to all the time. I know what I like and I stick to…