LAPL Blog

Janice Batzdorff, Librarian,

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Collage of books on Jewish cuisine

Bourekas and Shakshuka, Knishes and Latkes: The Intricacies of Jewish Cuisine

May 12, 2023

Bourekas (savory stuffed pastry) and shakshuka (eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce) are favorite foods for some Jewish people, while knishes (pastry filled with mashed potatoes) and potato latkes (pancakes) are preferred by others.

Jewish American Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month, Cookbooks
Collage of books about unknown genealogy, family tree and adoption

Uncovering Family Secrets: Forming a New Identity

March 07, 2022

Imagine discovering that the man who raised you is not your biological father. That your mother’s race differs from how she presented herself. That the person you are attracted to is your sibling. That you are the descendant of a renowned individual. A monstrous one.

Genealogy, Family Tree, Adoption
Author's ebooks, music and tv show selections during the COVID-19 pandemic

Reading in the Time of COVID-19

June 02, 2020

When the library closed almost three months ago, I checked out eight books. I’ve finished two of them. This is unusual for someone who reads everywhere—in checkout lines, on the Metro, at Dodger Stadium, even during social gatherings to take a break from the extroverts. Maybe that’s the problem.

Safer at Home, COVID-19, Books, Authors
8 notable African Americans

African American History Makers

February 24, 2020

Before Barack Obama, Hiram Revels and Shirley Chisholm helped govern the nation. William Wells Brown wrote a novel before Toni Morrison. Phillis Wheatley published poems before Langston Hughes. And Oscar Micheaux made films before Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay.

African American History Month, History
Devil in a Blue Dress movie poster (1995)

African American Mystery Writers and Their African American Detectives

February 26, 2018

They work in Watts, Chicago, Oakland, and Harlem, go on vacation in Provincetown, MA, and return home to Otis, South Carolina (pop. 5,000). They include an Ivy League professor, an ex-CIA agent, a volatile ex-cop, a journalist, a domestic worker, an attorney, a Ph.D.

Books, African American History Month, Authors

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