All posts by GtownCommLib

Family Stories: Memoirs and Biographies that Connect Generations

Library Collections

November invites us to gather, reflect, and reconnect, and what better way to celebrate than through stories that span generations? November is both Family Stories Month and National Memoir Writing Month, two observances that remind us of the power of sharing our lives and listening to the experiences of others.

Memoirs and biographies offer windows into personal histories, whether they capture a single life or trace the threads that connect a family across time. These stories help us make sense of our past, understand those who came before us, and preserve experiences for those who come after. Whether you’re reading the story of someone else’s family or inspired to write your own, the Germantown Community Library has a rich collection to help you explore.

Family Memoirs: Life Stories Rooted in Relationship

Memoirs that focus on family relationships can be moving, funny, and deeply insightful. They capture what is means to belong to a family, faults and all, and how those connections shape who we are.

Suggested Reading:

  • Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel
  • Between Two Kingdoms, by Suleika Jaouad
  • Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, by Dani Shapiro
  • The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
  • Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner

Legacy and Lineage: Biographies That Trace Family Impact

Some biographies go beyond an individual and explore the broader impact of family, culture, or ancestry. These books tell us how one person’s life influence generations or how family legacies shape public figures and history.

Suggested Reading:

  • The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, by Annette Gordon-Reed
  • Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt, by David McCullough
  • Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson
  • The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough

Telling Your Own Story: Memoir Writing and Reflection

Interested in capturing your own family story? Whether you’re writing for publication or just for your children and grandchildren, there are books to help you get started, offering guidance on memory, voice, structure, and meaning.

Suggested Reading:

  • On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
  • Your Life is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir, by Brenda Peterson
  • Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction and Get It Published, by Susan Rabiner
  • Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction, by James B. Stewart

Preserve and Share Your Family’s Story

Whether you’re reading a moving memoir, learning about a family’s legacy, or reflecting on your own life, November is the perfect time to explore personal histories. Visit the Germantown Community Library to browse our nonfiction collection and find the inspiration to preserve your family’s story, one memory at a time.

Erin L., Staff Writer

Cook Up Something New: Exploring Culinary Nonfiction at the Library

Library Collections, Staff Writer,

October is National Cookbook Month, the perfect time to warm up your kitchen, try new recipes, and explore the stories behind the foods we love. Cookbooks aren’t just about ingredients and instruction, they’re also windows into different cultures, histories, and personal journeys. Whether you’re a seasoned home chef or just learning your way around the kitchen, the Germantown Community Library has a wide range of culinary nonfiction to spark your creativity.

In the spirit of the season, we’ve cooked up something a little different: a recipe– not for dinner, but for discovery. Below, you’ll find a flavorful mix of nonfiction reads that will inspire you to explore new techniques, travel the globe through taste, and reflect on how food shapes who we are. No apron required, just an appetite for learning.

Ingredients

A selection of nonfiction books to spark creativity in the kitchen, including:

  • Essential cooking techniques
  • Global flavors and food cultures
  • Personal stories from chefs and home cooks
  • Culinary history and science
  • A generous dash of curiosity

Instructions

Step 1: Master the Basics

Start with cookbooks that teach foundational skills and smart techniques to boost your kitchen confidence.

Suggested reading:

  • How to Cook Everything Fast: Great Food in 30 Minutes or Less, by Mark Bittman
  • The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat
  • Basics with Babish: Recipes for Screwing Up, Trying Again, and Hitting It Out of the Park: A Cookbook, by Andrew Rea

Step 2: Add a Taste of the World

Mix in flavors from across the globe with books that explore international cuisines and culinary traditions.

Suggested reading:

  • Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India: A Cookbook, by Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy
  • North End Italian Cookbook: The Bestselling Classic Featuring Even More Authentic Family Recipes, by Marguerite DiMino Buonopane
  • In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean, by Hawa Hassan
  • The Gaijin Cookbook: Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Father, Eater, and Lifelong Outsider, by Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying

Step 3: Stir in Stories and History

Fold in memoirs and food writing that reveal the deeper connections between food, culture, and identity.

Suggested reading:

  • The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma’s Table, by Rick Bragg
  • Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch, by Erin French
  • Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garten
  • Taste: My Life Through Food, by Stanley Tucci
  • Care and Feeding, by Laurie Woolever
  • Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, by Ruth Reichl

Serving Suggestions

  • Try a “cook the book” challenge: choose one title and read several recipes.
  • Invite friends to a cookbook club: read, cook, and share your results.
  • Pair your reading with a playlist of cooking tunes and your favorite apron.
  • Don’t forget to browse our cookbook section for fresh ideas all season long!

Library Tip

Looking for more culinary inspiration? Ask a librarian! We’re happy to help you find cookbooks tailored to your tastes or skill level.

Enjoy!

This October, feed your curiosity and fill your shelves (and your plate) with culinary nonfiction from the Germantown Community Library. There’s no better time to try something new, one page and one bite at a time.

Erin L., Staff Writer

Connecting Storytime and Early Literacy

Programs, Staff Writer

It’s a storytime morning! You eat up, clean up, bundle up, and buckle up. You pull in, come in, settle in, and begin. What is UP? Why is making it to storytime worth all the work to get here? Storytime thoughtfully and specifically nurtures early literacy skills each week. Every time you show up, you build up your child’s skills for their future in reading and writing.

What is early literacy?

Early literacy is the natural development of skills in very young children that become building blocks for reading and writing. To put it briefly, early literacy grows through having positive experiences with language. There are five basic practices that are known for enriching early literacy. You are doing these already, every day! They are: read (listen to reading), write (mark-making), sing, play, and talk. Let’s look at how one recent preschool-age storytime touched on these practices and encouraged extensions at home.

Sing!

We opened and closed with familiar sing-along songs. Additionally, our special song was the playful “Mamma Don’t Allow,” which got us singing, dancing, clapping, twirling, and whispering. When we sing to or with our children, they hear words in smaller parts as songs stretch the words out. This is a building block for breaking words into syllables and increasing listening skills. Retention is improved by using this different (and musical!) part of the brain. Bringing simple songs and nursery rhymes into your day for routines like bath time or for making a waiting line easier both brings a smile (and patience) and enhances your child’s early literacy skills.

Read!

We also read books, of course! Cats Are Cats is purely funny. When we read our favorite books aloud, children learn to associate positive feelings with books. This increases motivation, joy, and confidence in learning to read! Additionally, books like Bad Cat are both engaging and foster great conversation between you and your child. Has your cat ever done such sneaky things? Talk (and laugh) about it. And remember, books contain a higher variety of word choice than the spoken word, so you’re filling up your child’s “word bucket” every time you read to them. Finally, the repetition found in Cat Nap is a great early literacy boost. When we read books with repeated words or phrases, children identify patterns and strengthen memory. This is a building block for reading fluency, confidence, and comprehension.

Play and talk!

Somewhere in the middle of storytime, we got a visit from our squirrel friend, Nibbles. Nibbles fosters play with a little interaction time with each child. This summer, Nibbles also had a question for the grown-ups. Taking these topics of conversation home offered more opportunity to explore the conversation with your child. Puppet play at home can encourage a child to talk. Also, making up and acting out very simple stories with puppets can enhance early comprehension by helping children understand that stories have a beginning, middle, and end.

Write!

Our activity at the end of the day was a bit of cat hide-and-seek, inspired by Cat Nap. This game allowed children and caregivers to play and talk as they searched for Kitten hiding around the patio. Something as simple as “checking each box” allowed each child to practice writing with a pencil. The create-a-cat sticker activity that was sent home offered an opportunity for little ones to use fine motor skills and playful creativity.

Take it home.

Building on storytime to engage in more of the five early literacy practices at home is easy! Sing some of your favorite storytime songs in the car. Check out books that expand on the topic of the day. Play like you’re from the story, repeat funny or memorable lines, or draw a character you remember from a book. Look for Nibbles or his cousins at the park and in your backyard (I hear this is happening with great success)! And talk, talk, talk about your child’s adventures and interests. Enjoy interacting with your child; as these five practices show up, watch them glow up as they grow up!

Katie S., Staff Writer

Saddle Up with a Western at the Germantown Community Library

Library Collections

Westerns are one of the only fiction genres we’ve pulled into their own section here at the Germantown Community Library—and for good reason. These books capture the spirit of the American frontier, offering readers everything from high-stakes shootouts and dusty saloons to stories of survival, justice, and redemption.

At their heart, Westerns are about people navigating harsh and often lawless landscapes. Some of the classics stick closely to the genre’s roots with tales of cowboys, outlaws, and sheriffs. Others use the wide-open spaces of the American West as a powerful backdrop for deeper themes like isolation, identity, and morality.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or completely new to the genre, the Western section is full of stories that deliver adventure and insight. And while the heyday of traditional Western publishing has passed, many modern authors continue to write rich, compelling novels set in the West—with some blending the genre with mystery, romance, or even speculative fiction.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few must-read Westerns that have stood the test of time:

  • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – An epic story of two retired Texas Rangers driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. Gritty, emotional, and unforgettable.
  • True Grit by Charles Portis – A young girl sets out to avenge her father’s death with the help of a tough U.S. Marshal. Witty and surprisingly heartfelt.
  • The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt – A darkly comic and oddly tender tale of two hired guns sent to kill a gold prospector during the California Gold Rush.
  • Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey – A cornerstone of the Western genre that helped define the cowboy hero and the dramatic landscapes of the West.

So if you’ve ever wondered what makes Westerns so enduring—or you just want a good story with unforgettable characters and bold settings—take a stroll through our Westerns section. Remember you can also check out our Western genre brochure (or any of our other genre brochures). You might just find your next favorite read out on the range.

Erin L., staff writer

Wander the Wild: Parks and Nature in Nonfiction

Uncategorized, ,

Every July, we celebrate National Park and Recreation Month, a time to recognize the importance of public parks, trails, and outdoor spaces in enriching our lives. Originally established in 1985 by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), this observance encourages us to explore the natural world, appreciate its beauty, and support the spaces that allow us to connect with nature and each other.

From the towering peaks of Yosemite to the geothermal wonders of Yellowstone, the United States is home to over 400 national park sites that protect breathtaking landscapes and preserve the stories of our shared heritage. Nonfiction books about these parks – and the people who explore, protect, and find inspiration in them – offer readers a chance to wander through wild terrain without leaving home.

Whether you’re planning your next hiking trip or simply want to immerse yourself in stories of adventure, conservation, and awe-inspiring places, the Germantown Community Library has a collection of nonfiction titles to help you celebrate the beauty and power of the great outdoors.

Adventures in the Wild: Memoirs and Outdoor Journeys

Hiking memoirs and travel narratives let readers experience the thrill, challenge, and transformation that come with exploring nature. These personal stories range from solo treks through remote trails to family adventures in the wilderness.

Suggested Reading:

  • A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Bryson
  • Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild, by James Campbell
  • A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon, by Kevin Fedarko
  • Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed

America’s National Parks: History, Beauty, and Preservation

These books celebrate the iconic landscapes of the National Park Service while diving into their cultural history, preservation efforts, and enduring impact on American life.

Suggested Reading:

  • The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, by Douglas Brinkley
  • The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, by Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns, et al.
  • Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite, by Dean King

Nature’s Power and Wonder: Essays and Observations

These nonfiction works capture the spirit of the wild through lyrical prose and thoughtful observation, reminding us of the beauty and mystery that exist just beyond the beaten path.

Suggested Reading:

  • Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, by Edward Abbey
  • Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard
  • All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West, by David Gessner

How to Make the Most of National Park and Recreation Month

Whether you’re planning a day trip to a nearby state park or dreaming of your next big hiking adventure, here are some ways to bring the outdoors into your everyday life:

  • Visit a Local Park: You don’t have to travel far to enjoy nature – explore local parks, trails, and outdoor spaces in your community. Germantown has a great variety of parks!
  • Start a Nature Journal: Keep track of your walks, hikes, and moments of outdoor wonder.
  • Use Library Resources: Check out guidebooks, maps, and memoirs to plan your next adventure or learn more about a park you’ve always wanted to visit. And don’t forget, the library has Wisconsin State Park Adventure Passes that you can check out to visit state parks for free! These passes are available first come, first serve.
  • Travel Through Reading: Let books take you to the mountains, deserts, forests, and coasts of America’s most treasured landscapes.

Exploring the Outdoors Through Books

You don’t need hiking boots to experience the magic of national parks and outdoor adventures – just a library card. Visit the Germantown Community Library this July to discover nonfiction books that celebrate the beauty, history, and wild freedom of nature. Whether you’re an avid explorer or an armchair adventurer, we’ve got something for every nature lover.

Erin L., staff writer