Charlesbridge Celebrates National Library Week 1

 (Austrian National Library, Hofburg Palace)

In the words of iconic actress Katharine Hepburn, "What in the world would we do without our libraries?" At Charlesbridge, we couldn't agree more! So in honor of National Library Week this year with its theme of "Libraries Transform," we wanted to share our favorite things about libraries with all of you:

My favorite thing about libraries is wandering. I used to be a student worker at my college library’s circ desk and I loved shelving because it would take me to areas of the library I wouldn’t normally go to. I brought home five new books to check out and look at every time. —Lauren Barrett, Sub-rights Coordinator/Associate

I absolutely love the atmosphere at any library—a quiet mix of curiosity and relaxation! I also appreciate creative book displays and the general convenience of borrowing physical and audio books. —Julie Bliven, Editor/Contracts Manager

When I walk into the BPL Connolly Library in Hyde Square in Jamaica Plain, I’m always struck by three things: 1) the physical beauty of the building, 2) the vast and beautiful diversity of the patrons, and 3) the various activities going on. From youth tutoring programs to computer terminals for teens and adults, from Boston City Council hearings hosted in the basement auditorium to the slew of kids on the floor surrounded by picture books, to an enormous Spanish section to the bilingual staff, my branch library is a gift to the community and a hub of activity. Libraries across the United States fill more roles than any one person can imagine, and their importance can’t be overstated. ¡Viva la biblioteca! —Karen Boss, Associate Editor

(BPL Connolly Library, Hyde Square, Jamaica Plain, MA)

Libraries are my happy place. When I walk into a library, the aroma of books both old and new hangs in the air and I feel like I’m home. I enter ready to embark on new adventures, to crack open spines and sift through pages, hoping to find my next favorite read, and before I know it, I’ve been wandering among the stacks for hours and enjoying every minute! I’m not in a rush at the library, I can slow down and let my eyes take in every inch of the shelves, it allows me time and peace as I peruse. I love libraries because that’s where I go to relax and stumble upon new characters. I always end up leaving with a huge stack of books in my arms, ready to jump head-first into each one, but wondering how I’ll ever have time to read them all! —Rachael Doody, Sales and Marketing Assistant

I’ve found myself using the library more than I ever have and it’s due to my two-hour daily commute. I have been checking out books-on-CD in order to take a break from the commercial-filled radio stations. Listening to books helps tune out the traffic and makes my daily commute less stressful. —Tracy Fournier, Accounting Manager

Libraries hold secret treasures. Like many kids, I fell hard for fantasy: Tolkien, Lewis, LeGuin, McKinley. But I didn’t know there were other people who liked that stuff; everyone I knew just looked at me blankly when I talked about it. The library didn’t judge me, though. There was a whole section of fantasy! I was obsessed with one gorgeous, oversize book, The Flight of Dragons, and kept borrowing it over and over again. Part of me daydreamed about stealing it—just slipping it out the window. Who was reading it besides me, anyway? But I never did, and I like to imagine that in the decades since, many other misfit kids have discovered and cherished that book—and other library treasures. —Alyssa Mito Pusey, Senior Editor

Libraries have always felt welcoming to me. I love the way they smell. I love to wander the aisles, run my fingers over the titles, and select anything that pops out at me. Usually, the thicker the better. In larger or university libraries, I can’t resist pulling the leather-bound books off the shelves that send the dust flying, to delightedly discover that the book was published in 1876. Who could have read it before me in the last century and a half? I miss the days of the paper checkout slips because you’d be able to see how long it had been since someone checked out that particular book—imagine, this was last borrowed in 1954! But whatever I discover, or whatever the reason I find myself in a library today (which often now is to work peacefully on my laptop), I always feel right at home. —Monica Perez, Executive Editor at Large

I love that libraries are not just about books, but about communities. From the staff to the patrons to the people in the parking lot, libraries are full of fellow book and content lovers, connecting folks from all around town with events, resources and good reads. —Megan Quinn, Senior Director of Sales

A library is a great equalizer, providing everyone with access to the information and books they need or would like to read and that they may not otherwise be able to get. It contains a vast wealth of knowledge in one inviting place that we are lucky to be able to visit whenever we want. And I LOVE being around all those books! —Cynthia Ritter, Marketing, Publicity & Promotions Assistant

I enjoy making a lot of noise at the library. I like to drop books on the floor. BAM! I love how it echoes throughout the building! I also like to ask the librarian questions from thirty feet away. “Hey! Where can I find a book on etiquette??” Other things I enjoy doing at the library: whistling, wearing squeaky shoes, and reading out loud! “SAY! I do like green eggs and ham!” Libraries are fun! —Bob Sammartino, Accounting Director

I have always loved the experience of walking into a library, finding something that interested me, and sitting down to read for hours. When I was a kid, my mother had to call the town library and ask the librarian to send me home for dinner. —Martha Sikkema, Senior Designer

I’ll never forget signing my name on my first library card. I knew I had experienced one of the great watershed moments on the path from childhood to adulthood. Choosing my own books each week at the public library was perhaps THE most important way that I began to shape my own destiny and my future grown-up self. I’m lucky I had both a mother who encouraged this and a school system that supported my early reading habits—but I also needed libraries and librarians to light the way. That great partnership between families, schools, and libraries is critical to every child’s success. —Yolanda Scott, Associate Publisher/Editorial Director

(Little Yolanda, November 1977)

[To the tune of "My Favorite Things"]

Words on bright pages
With illos and gate folds
Couches for reading
New arrivals and place holds

Stories of heroes and villains and kings
These are a few of my favorite things
(About the library).
—Donna Spurlock, Director of Marketing

What's your favorite thing about libraries? Share in the comments below!

The Great Maybe 6

By Carmella Van Vleet

She hates it.

Okay. Fine. So my agent might have said it wasn’t quite there yet - or something equally as gentle. There was probably some encouraging stuff in her email, too. But inside my head, all I heard was She hates it.

My debut picture book about astronaut Dr. Kathy Sullivan, To the Stars, has been a real labor of love. Translation: the kind of book that causes you to curl up in a ball and wonder if you’ve chosen the right profession. Lest you think my daughter-the-actor got her dramatic flair from her mother, allow me to share this tidbit with you: from idea to publication, To the Stars took me twelve years!

The finished product sits atop years of drafts

I’m gonna pause for a moment and let that sink in. Twelve years. According to Google, 2004 was the year Friends ended and Facebook started. Mean Girls was released as well as, um, a certain part of Janet Jackson’s anatomy.

I worked on the book so long that, at one point, my own mother suggested it was time to let it go. And you know it’s bad when your mom is telling you to throw in the towel.

But I believed deeply in the story. I knew it would work; I’d find the right angle eventually. So I’d pull it out of the drawer every once in a while and work on it. I wrote and published other books in the mean time, of course. And after my agent sold my middle grade novel, I got a burst of confidence and dusted off my “astronaut story” for the millionth time. (By then, I was certain my co-author, Kathy Sullivan herself, had given up on me or any hope of her story ever seeing the light of day.) I asked my critique group to help me polish it up. And then I sent it off to my agent. It was brilliant! It was going to be snatched right up!

It was...still not quite working.

Ugh.

I did what I always do when I’ve hit a creative wall. I threw a tantrum complete with crying and whining and the eating of donuts. But a funny thing happened on the way through Tim Horton’s drive-thru. I was complaining about how everyone seemed to want me to write about Kathy’s life at NASA and I just wanted to write about Kathy’s childhood. And my daughter said, “But Mom. She was an astronaut. You can’t skip the space stuff.”

And suddenly two images popped into my head: Kathy dangling her feet in the Breezy (an open-frame airplane she took a ride in as a teenager) and Kathy looking down at Venezuela between her boots as she did her space walk. Kathy had described this latter experience as reminiscent of dangling from your knees on a tree branch as a kid.

From there, I began matching up scenes from Kathy’s childhood to Kathy’s experience as a space pioneer. (She was one of the six women chosen for the first space shuttle class and the first American women to walk in space.) And it quickly became clear this back-and-forth storytelling format was the perfect way to express what Kathy and I had wanted to all along - that what you love as a kid can translate into life-long passions. And you shouldn’t worry about what you’re going to do “when you grow up” because your job may not even be invented yet!

Once I made this connection, the story shifted into place. It was like finally seeing all the colors match up in a Rubric’s cube. (Not that I’ve ever personally experienced this….stupid 1980’s puzzle.)

The point is, we never really know how close we are to finding that one, final piece that’s going to click everything into place. We have to stay open to the great Maybe.

MAYBE this approach will be the right one.

MAYBE this new reader will be able to see what I keep missing.

MAYBE down the road I’ll be a better writer and ready to tackle this project.

MAYBE I’m not being stubborn by sticking by this story. MAYBE I’m actually on to something.

MAYBE this time when I open an email from my agent it’ll say, “You nailed it!” Or better yet, MAYBE this time the phone will ring with great news.

I bet you have a “labor of love” story, too. Most writers do. Is it time to put it aside for a while? Or is it time to dig deep and keep writing? I wish I had a crystal ball so I could tell you. But here’s what I’ve learned by sticking with my “astronaut story” all these years: you already know what will happen if you give up. What you can’t know is what will happen if you don’t.

My office

Eat More Chickpeas 3

We tried these recipes from Chickpeas: Sweet and Savory Recipes from Hummus to Dessert and they were so good we wanted to share them. The Spinach & Chickpea Quiche redefines brunch (and breakfast, and snack time). And, the Chocolate Brownies with Ganâche are so good they'll hurt your feelings.

We invite you try these recipes with your friends and family. Then, come back here and tell us what you think of them. Share them on Twitter with the hashtag #ChickpeasatCharlesbridge and be sure to send folks to this post with the URL www.charlesbridge.com/blog/Chickpeas. And you can find more amazing recipes with chickpeas in Chickpeas!

Spinach & Chickpea Quiche

Ingredients (Makes one 9-inch tart)

Crust

Filling

Preparation

1. Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, sift together the flour and salt. Add the butter, and pulse until course crumbs form. Mix in the egg, until a dough forms. If the mixture is too dry, add just enough water to form a dough.
2. Shape the dough into  disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Prepare the filling: In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, red pepper, chickpeas, spinach, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the liquids are almost evaporated.
4. Pour in the cream, and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs, and then set aside.
5. Grease a 9-inch fluted tart pan with cooking spray Lightly dust your work surface with flour, or place the chilled dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough and cut a 13-inch round.
6. Tuck the round into the tart pan, gently pressing it into the edges and up the sides. Transfer to the freezer and chill for about 10 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Remove the shell from the freezer and trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Line the shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Remove the partially baked shell from the oven, and remove the pie weights and parchment paper  Distribute ½ cup of the cheese evenly into the shell. Top with the vegetable mixture, and then top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling sets and the top is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. May be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Brownies with Ganâche

Ingredients (Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies)

Brownies

Ganâche

Preparation

1. Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 350° F and line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with a parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.
2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the chickpeas until smooth. 
3. Transfer the chickpeas to a large bowl, and mix in the eggs, vanilla extract and oil, until blended. 
4. In another bowl, mix the cocoa, sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Combine with the chickpea mixture, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into the pan and bake for 20 minutes until toothpick, inserted into the middle, comes out with a few crumbs on it. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. Prepare the ganâche: Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat just until boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, stirring until smooth and glossy.
7. Cut the brownies into 16-equal pieces and then top each piece with chocolate ganâche. Serve warm.

Enjoy! And don't forget to come back and tell us what you think!

Chanukah begins at sunset on Sunday, December 6 0

Chanukah is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights and takes place in winter. The holiday celebrates the victory of Judah and the Maccabees against the Syrian army when they fought to defend their right to practice Judaism. When the Jewish people took back the temple in Jerusalem, they lit the eternal light using the tiny bit of oil left. While the messenger sent to get more oil was gone, a miracle happened. The tiny bit of oil lasted for eight days and nights until the messenger returned. Each evening during Chanukah, an additional candle is lit in the menorah to remember each night the oil lasted. People eat potato pancakes, called latkes, which are fried in oil and served with sour cream and applesauce.

The Three Goldwasser Girls’ Crispy Potato Latkes

Ingredients
4 large potatoes
1 small onion
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup olive oil for frying

Directions
1. Peel and grate the potatoes.
2. Wrap the potato gratings in cheesecloth, and press to remove most of the liquid.
3. Chop the onion.
4. Mix grated potato with chopped onion, egg, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder in a bowl until a batter forms.
5. Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.
6. Spoon batter into hot oil, spreading to form 3-inch pancakes.
7. Fry until edges are browned.
8. Lift the latkes out with a spatula, and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

From Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons, by Alice B. McGinty and illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt.