A Little Birdie Told Me…
That there is new art work in the ArtWalk! This month the ArtWalk path between Westlake Porter Public Library and Westlake Elementary School features spring birds created by Kindergarten Westlake…
Read It, Make It: Hyacinth Craft
Cover of Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert Lois Ehlert's, "Planting a Rainbow" tells the story of a mother and child planting a rainbow of flowers in their garden. Check…
Folklore Fun! Scandinavia
This post was updated in March 2026 to reflect WPPL’s current collection. What do the God of Thunder and Disney Queen Elsa have in common? Popular movie franchises? Well, yes.…
Health Highlights: Clean Eats
Spring is here . . Spring Cleaning . . . Clean Eating! What is clean eating? According to the Mayo Clinic, clean eating is eating foods that are as close…
A Case of Mistaken Identity
At the end of 2021, I shared my yearly Reading Challenge. Throughout the year, I'm going to share some lists that might help with some of the prompts provided. Of…
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Complete Series of The Wizard of Oz books
I was a very avid reader as a child, and my grade school library had a lot of old books. So, I very quickly developed a passion for reading older…
Fascinating Near-Future Science Fiction Books
Science fiction has a bit of a reputation for predicting the future. Is good science fiction fortune-telling, or is it talented authors following the latest scientific breakthroughs and their own…
What I’m Reading: March 2022
I don't know about you, but when it comes to books, it appears that my eyes are bigger than my stomach (or rather, my library bag is bigger than my…
Author Spotlight: John Steinbeck
When I was in high school, if you were to ask me who my favorite author was, hands down I would have told you John Steinbeck. It was no question.…
Seeing Double: Twenty-Two “Twos” Books for Tuesday, 2/22/2022
Today is February 22, 2022. It is also Tuesday. Which means, today is an excellent day for anyone whose favorite number is two, as it's two-two-two-two-two-two...you get the idea. So,…
Author Spotlight: Toni Morrison
Today is Toni Morrison's birthday, so let's celebrate this amazing Ohio author with an Author Spotlight! Toni's books skillfully blend elements of fantasy and magical realism with the brutal realities…
Health Highlights: Self-Care During American Heart Month
The National Institute of Mental Health defines Self-Care as "taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health." During…
Black History Month: Celebrating Black Joy
There's a lot going on in our world that is stressful, unhappy, and unpleasant. So, instead of focusing on the more unsavory aspects of the world around us, these authors…
Arawi’s Art of the Absurd: Nichijou, Helvetica Standard, & City
I read a lot of manga (Japanese comics) and there are a ton of different series that I just love to sink my proverbial teeth into. I tend to read…
What I’m Reading: February 2022
Last month, I gave you all a glimpse into what was on my to-read list for January. This month, I'd like to try that again. I have a lot of…
Author Spotlight: Huda Fahmy
I really enjoy reading graphic novel memoirs. Not only do you get to learn about a person's history and life story, but you get an added visual layer of how…
The Savior at the Century’s End: Fist of the North Star
One of my all-time favorite anime series is Fist of the North Star. This hardcore story about a man seeking revenge during the apocalyptic year of 199X was easily one…
Folklore Fun! Japan
This post was updated in February 2026 to reflect WPPL's current collection. For my first focused Folklore Fun post (say that five times fast!) I decided to feature Japan! I…
Please, Sir, I Want Some More: Oliver Twist Retellings
Oliver Twist is one of those classic novels that I always meant to read, but for some reason have not. The story of a young orphan who becomes mixed up…
Sailing on the Wine-Dark Sea: Odyssey Retellings
I minored in Classical Studies in college. This didn't exactly mean that I read classic books with a little "c" (although, I read a ton of those as an English…
Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: The Tempest Retellings
I've read a fair share of Shakespeare in school, which means I've read Hamlet for at least three classes, and Romeo and Juliet for four. But, you can imagine my…
Author Spotlight: Jack London
Today is Jack London's birthday, so let's celebrate properly with a selection of this wonderful author's books! While London is probably best known for his cold climate tales, the author…
What I’m Reading: January 2022
It's the start of a new year, and already my resolution to only check out 5 books at a time has completely failed. If you're curious about some of the…
Health Highlights: Thyroid Awareness
The Thyroid is often described as a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. I always liked that analogy. January is Thyroid Awareness Month. If you are struggling with…