It’s finally May! A wonderful month where kids (and teachers) look forward to the end of the school year and sometimes a cold and soggy spring rolls over into summer. Folks are planning out their flower and vegetable gardens and are mowing the lawn again between raindrops. The Crawfordsville Farmer’s Market is open, the strawberries are beginning to bloom, and it’s also time to think about outdoor celebrations, reunions, and cookouts. No matter what your plans are for the rest of May, we’ve got some great suggestions to get you out there and get inspired.
Montica gets us started with “Gardening for Everyone” by Julia Watkins (635 Wat), plus “Grow More Food” by Colin McCrate (635 McC, also an ebook on Hoopla) for suggestions for what to do with that abundance of produce when it ripens. Interested in learning how to enhance your table with the harvest from Mother Nature’s garden (and one you don’t have to till)? Try Dawn’s pick, “The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora” by Alan Bergo (641.6 Ber). Wondering what to do with those kids who are off for the summer that will get you outside while creating fantastic memories? Dawn also recommends “Wild & Free Nature” by Ainsley Arment (372.35) which offers 25 ideas for outdoor adventuring as a family. Perhaps, like me, you’ve vowed that this summer will be spent more with the people you love and less with your screens and devices — if so, I highly recommend “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again” (155.4 Pri, also an ebook and audiobook on Libby) and “How to Break Up with Your Phone” (616.85, also an audiobook on Libby), both by Catherine Price.
Of course, summer weather can be fickle, and sometimes a good rainstorm will cancel your outside plans for the day … if so, pop some popcorn, make a blanket fort and try one of these family-friendly DVD suggestions: Sing (DVD FIC Sin), Howl’s Moving Castle (DVD FIC How), and American Underdog (DVD FIC Ame). Read about how a supportive family base fostered the still-flourishing careers of Ron and Clint Howard in The Boys (920 How, also an ebook/audiobook on Libby). Snuggle down and get lost a little in a new YA romance like “This Is What Happy Looks Like” by Jennifer E. Smith (YA FIC Smi, also ebook on Libby/audiobook on Hoopla). Or travel to a galaxy far, far away in “Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View” (FIC Sta), a collection of 40 short stories celebrating and inspired by the iconic film series (also an ebook/audiobook on Libby).
Rainy days are also great for allowing your body to rest while giving your brain just a little bit of a psychological jolt to keep your mental juices flowing. Explore unease and dysfunctional family dynamics in Brenda’s pick, “If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood” by Gregg Olson (364.152 Ols). Experience visual beauty with just a hint of “spooky” with Shelbi’s picks, the graphic novel “Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost” by Keezy Young (available as an ebook on Libby), or Matthew Bourne’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet Swan Lake (DVD 729.842 Tch). Still feeling mildly disappointed by the way your favorite fantasy series was portrayed on the small or large screen, or the way they did or didn’t resolve in print? Crystal has a completed fantasy series for you to try that has not (as of yet) been optioned into a movie or TV series and is overflowing with magic, prophecies, war, quests, and retribution — check out The Tree of Ages series by
Sara C. Roethle (FIC Roe)!
Whether outside or inside, good weather or bad weather, May is all about variety here at Crawfordsville District Public Library. Stop by and try one of our staff suggestions today.
Amanda Grossman is the assistant manager of reference and local history at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
