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Recent Reads

Lifestyle Columns

Here are few of my favorite recent reads. Library staff would be happy to help you place requests on these or any other titles. If you’d like to place your own request, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog. As a Swiftie, I am enjoying the recent wave of books about Taylor Swift, two of which I’ve included here. The first is “The Eras Tour Book,” Swift’s official photography book for her historic concert tour. It’s full of colorful images celebrating the energy and joy of the 3.5-hour show. Although many of the images have been shared widely through social ...

City in NJ had a thriving glassmaking industry

Lifestyle Columns

What cities come to mind when you think of glassmaking? Venice, Italy? Waterford, Ireland? Sandwich, Massachusetts? How about Millville, New Jersey? Millville had a thriving glass industry by the 1860s. Many glassworkers were immigrants, familiar with techniques like lampworking and millefiori that had been practiced around the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. Working in the Millville factories, they developed and experimented with new techniques, often by making paperweights. These paperweights were not production items; glassworkers made them on their own time to try out ...

‘Obsessed with just playing’

Communities

Ethan Schoof didn’t start really taking playing guitar seriously until after high school. But once he did, his career took off. “It’s hard to pinpoint an exact starting point,” Schoof, who goes by Ethan Todd on stage, said. “I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13, but I didn’t ...

Wordless picture books

Lifestyle Columns

Did you know that sharing a wordless picture book can be a powerful way to build important literacy skills? Wordless picture books are books without text that rely solely on the pictures to convey the story. They are often dismissed as being too easy for any age reader. But they are outstanding tools to promote comprehension, vocabulary, listening skills, and they aid in the understanding of character development and story structure. A good reader needs good comprehension skills. They need to remember what has already happened and be able to predict what may happen next. Wordless ...

Antiques prove that tradition didn’t always rule

Lifestyle Feature

Sometimes, people like to think of the past as a steady, stable time where tradition ruled the day. Ironically, learning about antiques can prove that notion wrong; and some of the best lessons can come from 19th-century furniture. Technological advances made complicated furniture designs more accessible, and the growing nouveau riche meant more customers in need of furniture, often with more extravagant tastes. The Merklen Brothers of New York, active between the 1880s and 1900, were among the furniture makers taking advantage of new tools and catering to new tastes. The chair ...

2024 IN PREP SPORTS

Lifestyle Feature

The year of 2024 in school sports was eventful in many ways, but no season highlighted the year quite the spring which saw two area schools take home state championships. Both the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds softball team and Springfield Tigers baseball team were able to achieve the prep ...