Of all the months, December is probably the one with the most traditions. One you may not have heard of gets my vote for the best possible holiday tradition of all: in Iceland, people celebrate Christmas with a tradition called Jolabokaflod, which translates to “Christmas book flood” in English.
Jolabokaflod began in World War II, when almost everything was rationed. However, paper was not rationed. Since there were no limits on books, that became the go-to gift. Giving each other books has become an essential part of the Christmas season for Icelanders. And, because gifts are traditionally opened on Christmas Eve night, people tend to spend that evening reading.
For over 70 years, every household in Iceland has gotten a book bulletin from the publishers of books in their country. This catalog helps people choose books for their friends and family.
If you’re looking for ideas for your own gift giving, I suggest you pick up a copy of this month’s edition of BookPage, available free at the library. While you’re here, ask the staff for their recommendations too! We are always happy to share our favorites with you.
Here’s a few we enjoyed this year:
Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure, by Rinker Buck. History. Travelling the Mississippi in a wooden flatboat like those used in the 1800s, Rinker Buck encounters danger and adventure.
The High Sierra: A Love Story, by Kim Stanley Robinson. History, Americana, Nature. Best known for his science fiction, in this book Robinson shares his love of the Sierra Nevada mountains and tells the history of its exploration and those who lived there.
Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library, by Holly Danvers. Mystery. Second in the Lakeside Library series by Wisconsin author Danvers (aka Holly Quinn), this book is perfect for those who prefer cozy mysteries.
The Runaway, by Nick Petrie. Thriller/Suspense. The latest in local author Petrie’s Peter Ash series, this title is sure to please the suspense lover on your list.
If you’ve read or seen Harry Potter then yule know what a Yule Ball entails. We’re throwing our own Yule Ball on December 10th from 5:30pm-8:00pm. There will be snacks, games, music, and other magical festivities!
The 2022-23 school is year just around the corner, which means time to fit in that summer homework. Non-Fiction gets a bad wrap for being boring, but NF isn’t just encyclopedias and textbooks! There’s hilarious memoirs, fascinating graphic novels, and eye-opening historical accounts that wait for you in YA Non-Fiction.
If you’re having trouble finding a non-fiction book for your project, here are some books you won’t have to endure, but might actually enjoy:
Video games changed the game, as it were, when it comes to storytelling. In this book, Dustin Hansen discusses the history of how video games got us to where we are now!
In this account of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Brandy Colbert talks about how it came to pass, why it happened, and how it affected the community, country, and beyond.
Yep, there’s Non-fiction Graphic Novels! This memoir from writer of Nimona and creator of Netflix’s reboot of She-ra and the Pricesses of Power delves into the writer’s story of becoming a writer, and the highs and lows of being a creator.
Queer There and Everywhere tells the stories of 23 members of the LGBTQIA community that had a major impact on innovation and culture. It’s a collection of stories, which makes for a fun, quick, and interesting read!
This historical account of the Salem Witch Trials reveals the story of why the witch-hunt came to be, and the stories of the women who went through it.
This graphic novel shows the complexity of the culture of the Middle Ages, including the Plague, The Hundred Year War, and the Crusades, in this romp through the 5th – 15th centuries.
There’s more books to find and enjoy in the non fiction department! Check out our display at the very beginning of YA Non-Fiction for more suggestions on true stories you might actually enjoy.
(Germantown, Wisconsin) The community has always been a huge part of library services at the Germantown Community Library. For years, the library has enjoyed participating in local events such as the festivals, the 4th of July parade, Christmas festival and school district programs – just to name a few. This summer, the library is excited to take this a step further and bring more of the library outside of our building.
‘The Enchanted Library’ will do just that. It is the Germantown Community Library’s new mobile book trailer filled with books, movies and activities to bring the library into the communities of Germantown, Jackson and Richfield. Residents will be able to check out and return items at all of our ‘Enchanted Library’ programs. The mobile library even has its own enchanted theme and logo. The beautiful artwork was designed our Youth Service Specialist, Shannon Siebers.
Generously sponsored by WaterStone Bank in Germantown, the Enchanted Library will be launched on May 21, 2022 at our Bookmobile Party from 10:30am – 12:30pm. The event will include tours with the Monarch Library System Bookmobile, the West Bend Outreach Van and The Enchanted Library as well as ice cream, crafts & activities. A ribbon cutting through the Germantown Area Chamber of Commerce will also be held at the library at 10:00am.
The following week, ‘The Enchanted Library’ will be out and about in the community at the following programs:
Mon, May 23 @ 7:30 – 9:30am: Germantown Chamber (Chase Bank, Mequon Rd) Free coffee & donuts
Tues, May 24 @ 1 – 2pm: Germantown Fire Station Meet Paw Patrol Marshall character & crafts
Tues, May 24 @ 3 – 4pm: Germantown Police Station Meet Paw Patrol Chase character & crafts
Wed, May 25 @ 5 – 6pm: Kinderberg Park, Germantown Meet our new dragon mascot, snacks & crafts
Thurs, May 26 @ 4 – 5pm: Heritage Park, Richfield Meet Pete the Cat characters, snacks & coloring pages
Fri, May 27 @ 2:30 – 3:30pm: Fireman’s Park, Germantown Life-sized games, pizza & crafts.
Sat, May 28 @ 10:30 – 11:30am: Hickory Park, Jackson Meet Pout Pout Fish, snacks & fish-themed crafts.
The Enchanted Library will also have regular stops this summer in Germantown, Jackson & Richfield and well as appear at special events. Visitors to The Enchanted Library can apply for a library card, check out or return books, place holds and participate in themed crafts and activities. We will also be offering free book bags or backpacks!
“We are very excited about the future opportunities that the new mobile trailer will bring to the community” says Cara Reimer, Outreach Services Specialist. “We will be able to bring more materials and programs to residents than ever before. The library is thrilled to grow our outreach efforts and continue to make connections in the area.”
When I’m not working at the library, I’m a college student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, I also run the Dungeons and Dragons Network, a club dedicated to finding groups of people who want to play DnD together. I’ve somehow brought the hype back with me, because I honestly can’t stop talking about Dungeons and Dragons.
Historically, DnD was created right here in Wisconsin, only about an hour away from Germantown in Lake Geneva, by Gary Gygax. The game, when released in the 1970’s was met with acclaim and controversy, and in the 80s, was synonymous with “nerd”. Since then various editions have come out. Right now, the popular one is 5th edition.
Despite DnD’s history as a nerdy underground game, one typically sidelined to the dorky friend’s personality in 80’s high school movies, DnD has a pretty major following. I think a lot of this hype, as least in the recent mainstream sense, can be tied to Netflix’s Stranger Things, which actually has it’s own official adventure book now. That and the fact that kids who played DnD back when in came out are now the ones in the Hollywood writer’s rooms.
Turns out, Dungeons and Dragons, today, is en vogue. Well, as en vogue as a tabletop roleplaying game can be. You’d be hard pressed to find someone whose into reading but not interested in learning about or wants to try DnD. Celebrities play DnD. In fact, Joe Manganiello pretty famously has a basement dedicated to the game and a DnD inspired clothing line.
Joe Manganiello runs a star-studded DnD campaign with players including Vince Vaughn, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Game of Thrones co-creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff.
If celebrity RPG tables isn’t enough to convince you that Dungeons and Dragons has come back with a fervor, maybe the sheer amount of content dedicated to the game might. The podcasts, the YouTube videos, the books! One of the more popular DnD podcasts, Critical Role, was just turned into the Amazon Prime show The Legends of Vox Machina. My favorite DnD podcast, The Adventure Zone has been turned into a series of graphic novels (soon to be available at your local Germantown Community Library).
But in all of these storylines and formats, there’s a common thread through it all, and there’s surprisingly a lot to learn from DnD.
Aside from how to roll and calculating ability scores or battle strategy, DnD is the perfect way to learn about storytelling. Because, underneath the numbers and character sheets and stats, what DnD is at its core, is a collaborative story. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure book but with 90% more customization. It’s a way to delve into what makes a story great, and bring everyone else along the ride with you. When you play DnD, it’s not like a video game, where you can be placed in a situation and there are a certain number of moves and combinations, or certain objectives with a storyline that ends up generally the same. Video games have a level of complexity all their own, but I don’t think I’d be able to find one that does exactly what makes DnD so unique.
Hey, you! You’re finally awake.
I don’t think a video game will ever be able to replicate the feeling of creating a character, a backstory for that character, a personality for that character, a family for that character, a goal and aspiration for that character, and then to have that character give her life to save a lady who gave her a rock one day. It’ll never replicate the customization of encounters, how that same character, in all her “rush in and do good recklessly” glory, completely decimated a fellow party members illusion. Or the one time we had a complete makeover montage right before our dragon encounter. Or the time we had to save the city of Detroit from being lost to the abyss.
I’m a first time Dungeon Master, and I’ve got the dice to show for it. I’ve never had more fun playing Dungeons and Dragons than I am right now, planning and improvising on the fly, creating NPCs with weird, inconsistent accents (hey, not all of us are extremely talented voice actors like the cast of Critical Role), and most importantly: telling a story with others, having the players affect the story, mess with its outcome. No session ever turns out exactly as I plan it, and that’s the great part! In every single iteration of DnD in the media, the story has never never been the same. Not even a close resemblance. The possibilities are endless, whether you’re playing the beginners module (which both The Adventure Zone and I have done, to EXTREMELY variable results) or homebrewing your own campaign.
It’s a weird, kind of beautiful way to spend your time. You create a fictional universe that only lives in your head, then you share it with others, have them play there, have them affect the world, have them mess with the people there, have them struggle, have them triumph. All in your head. All in theirs.
Hopefully, I’ve convinced to give Dungeons and Dragons or its related media a try, because we’re bringing DnD to the library!
There are some DnD sourcebooks available for checkout in the Young Adult section! That, and our Teen Advisory Board is getting on the DnD train too. We’re having a DnD Info Session on Monday, May 16th, where tweens and teens can learn about the game, get a feel for it and maybe even make a character.
It’s a great game, and it is what you make of it. I hope you make something cool one day!
