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…
Folklore Fun: China
I started this blog post with zero knowledge about Chinese folklore. Fortunately, WPPL has a great selection of both traditional tales and modern adaptations! I was soon acquainted with The…
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…
Medium Monday: Printmaking
What Is Printmaking? E. B. Goodale uses monotype prints in The Moon Remembers Printmaking is actually an umbrella term for several different methods. At the most basic level, it is…
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.…
Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop
On August 11th, 1973, DJ Kool Herc was hired to spin records at a back-to-school block party in the Bronx. He set up two turntables so he could play the…
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,…
Medium Monday: Colored Pencil
What Is Colored Pencil? Colored pencils are just what they sound like. A thin outer layer of wood makes a stylus with a pigmented core that leaves a mark when…
Folklore Fun! Nigeria
I have a giant spreadsheet of books with folkloric influences. The main challenge I have with these blog posts is figuring out how to group countries so that I have…
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…
STEAM Week: Easy DIY Zoetrope
This DIY Zoetrope project creates movement in design and is the perfect way to celebrate STEAM Week with your children. Making a Zoetrope encourages your children to practice multiple skills…