The Book Nook: Home is Where the Book Is

By Ben Lathrop, Hyde Park Library

For the special “Home Issue” of Hyde Park Living, I’ve put together a trio of great “home” related resources that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own…well you get the idea. 

Storytime At Home 

Go to youtube.com@cincylibraryarchive and click on “Playlists” to find hundreds of videos including librarians from around our system reading some of their storytime favorites. 

Learn About Your Home’s History

Our Local History experts at the Downtown Main Library have created an excellent online tutorial on how to research the history of your home. Go to chpl.org/genealogy-history/house-history for detailed guidance and links to a wealth of resources. 

Home Improvement 

In depth guides for all of the household projects on your to-do list. You’ll find fully illustrated articles on everything from fixing a leaky sink to converting your attic into an extra room. Log in with your library card at: chpl.org/resource/home-improvement-source.      

Ben’s Bookshelf 

I barely had said the words “Hey, do you guys have any suggestions for a home-themed list of books?” when the best-read library staff in the business (I’m speaking of course of the talented book experts at the Hyde Park Branch) responded with titles ranging from one of the most frequently challenged books of the last twenty years to one of the oldest surviving works of literature. 

Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Generations of obsessions over one house. 

The Odyssey by Homer. About a guy and his pals just trying to get home. Also, there’s a cyclops in it. 

Strange Houses by Uketsu. Interactive mystery novel where floorplans become puzzles. 

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. Story in verse for younger readers about a family of Syrian refugees settling in Cincinnati.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. Celebrated graphic novel memoir. 

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino. Woman obsesses over buying this house and goes to great lengths to acquire it. 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Described by the author’s biographer as “a paean to agoraphobia.”

The Renovation by Kenan Orhan. A woman renovates her home’s bathroom only to find its been turned into a prison cell. 

Visit your home branch anytime for these and other recommendations!

*Check out chpl.org and follow @CincyLibrary on social media for the latest info on events and resources at YOUR Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library!