Toledo Lucas County Public Library

5 Categories of One-Hit Wonders

National One-Hit Wonder Day happens every year, though when you think about it they probably just should have done it once.

Six Tons of Sand and a Dream: Remembering Playwright Tina Howe

Tina Howe was a playwright, which is to say, she wasn't a household name. But she was a beloved and respected artist whose body of work resonates through the careers of any number of artists that you've definitely heard of.

And ACTION: Happy Birthday Film Director Ava DuVernay!

It's director Ava DuVernay's birthday. But what do you get someone who already has an Emmy, an Oscar nomination, and Oprah's phone number?

You Talking to Him? Happy Birthday, Robert De Niro

In his eighty years on this planet, actor Robert De Niro has been more than a hundred different people. Wish a happy birthday to all of them.

Sinéad O’Connor (1966-2023)

The Irish musician Sinéad O'Connor had one massive hit and a lifetime of influence. Regrettably for those of us who were fans, July 26 was the last day of our acquaintance.

Floating in a Most Peculiar Way: 10 Books, 5 Songs and 5 Movies to Celebrate the Birthday of NASA

Sixty-five years ago, NASA was born. Its legacy includes Tang, that weird astronaut ice cream, David Bowie's career, and a whole lot more.

Remembering Harry Frankfurt, Philosopher and Author

Many philosophers write about concepts that are hard to describe. Harry Frankfurt became a bestselling author by writing about one you're not supposed to say out loud.

5 Books to Read So You Can Talk About Milan Kundera (1929-2023)

The writer Milan Kundera died recently at the age of 94. So if you haven't read any of his novels -- or can't remember if you've read them -- here's your chance to catch up.

Remembering Alan Arkin, an Everyman With a Side of Chaos

The funniest grandpa in Little Miss Sunshine was also the scariest guy in Wait Until Dark and the saddest salesman in Glengarry Glen Ross. Alan Arkin could play almost anyone while always being unmistakably himself.

Let’s. Get Down. To Business. To Rewatch “Mulan.”

Twenty-five years ago this month, Disney's animated movie "Mulan" landed in popular culture with all the force of a great typhoon.

History in the Making: 20 Years of Beyoncé

Twenty years ago, Beyoncé released her first solo album and since then she's worked steadily toward world domination. What have YOU done since 2003?

5 Cormac McCarthy Books You Gotta Read

The only thing more depressing than losing an author of Cormac McCarthy's stature is the stuff that happens in Cormac McCarthy's books.

15 Tony Award Winners

This Sunday night is the 76th Tony Awards, the biggest night in American theater. Or at least the biggest night in a certain fourteen-square-block section of American theater.

Better Than All The Rest: Remembering Tina Turner

From Nutbush to Thunderdome and beyond, superstar Tina Turner put her indelible stamp on American music and American culture.

9021 Five-Oh: Happy Birthday Tori Spelling

Tori Spelling turns 50 years old this month. If you know who that is, I’m sorry to hear about your joint pain.

R.I.P. MTV News (1987-2023): Headbanging the Headlines

For years, MTV News told the youth of America what was happening to the nation, to the world, and to Jamiroquai. But now it's gone. Tabitha Soren, we hardly knew ye.

It’s Funny Because it’s (Sam) Gross: The New Yorker’s Most Unruly Cartooning Genius

Until he died this month, cartoonist Sam Gross was the master of making you laugh at things you felt bad about laughing at.

Down to Crown: 20 Movies About Royalty to Celebrate the Coronation

The UK has a new king. Between you and me, though, the royals in these movies are more fun.

Okay, I Believe You: The Art and the Activism of Harry Belafonte

A movie star, a singing sensation, and a major civil rights leader, the late Harry Belafonte accomplished enough to fill several lifetimes.

The Final Snappy Answer of Cartoonist Al Jaffee (1921-2023)

For decades, cartoonist Al Jaffee was one of the most consistent fixtures among Mad Magazine's "Usual Gang of Idiots" with his sardonic and cutting observations about modern life. But he's inked his last fold-in.

Going Back to Rydell High: Grease and the Rise of the Pink Ladies

A 1970s musical set in the 1950s, Grease is a double helping of nostalgia. But a new generation of creators thinks Rydell High and streaming television might go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.

Happy Happy Happy Birthday, Chaka-Chaka-Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan turns 70 this month, and she’s celebrating like any legendary superstar would: she’s coming to Ohio.

The Chronicles of Lance Reddick

Some actors get typecast as Everyone's Dad. The captivating character actor Lance Reddick was more like Everyone's Lieutenant.

Too Munch of a Good Thing: Remembering Richard Belzer

A stand-up comic who got TV-famous pretending to investigate deadly serious crimes, Richard Belzer embraced contradictions.

3 Was the Magic Number

De La Soul, featuring the late David Jolicoeur, so thoroughly reimagined hip hop that their records sounded like transmissions from another reality. Plug Two, over and out.

When the Books Hit Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie

Some will celebrate National Pizza Day by eating pizza, and some will celebrate by reading about pizza. Just kidding, nobody's going to do that second thing.

I’m Just a Blog, Yes I’m Only a Blog.

Schoolhouse Rock is fifty years old. And if you know what that is, then maybe so are you.

Knock at the Cabin and 10 Creepy Reads

Did you read the novel "Knock at the Cabin" is based on? Did it leave you feeling unsettled, aghast, consumed with despair about human nature? Here are ten books to keep those feelings flowing.

5 Indispensable Tom Verlaine Recordings

Rock guitarist Tom Verlaine didn't sell a ton of records, but the legions of musicians he influenced did.

Don’t Call it a Bad Back: LL Cool J Turns 55

It's LL Cool J's birthday, and we're celebrating in the customary fashion: starting hurricanes; listening to the bass go boom; maybe a little ice cream.

5 Indispensable Jeff Beck Recordings

Play a tune in memory of guitar god Jeff Beck. And play it loud.

5 Ways to Get to Know Poet Charles Simic

The poet Charles Simic achieved nearly every distinction an American poet can hope for. It's not too late to find out why.

Five Titles for Pelé Fans of All Ages

He was soccer, he was an icon, he was the biggest athlete in the world: nobody ever asked "Pelé who?"

Leaving Funky Town: So Long, Winkerbean

The newspaper comic strip Funky Winkerbean has been telling stories about its Ohio-based characters day by day for fifty years. But at the end of this month, that all changes.

7 Comic Voices That Went Silent in 2022

To lose one comedian in a year may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose seven looks like carelessness.

10 Ways to Try a Little Otis Redding

Fifty-five years ago this month the unparalleled soul singer Otis Redding left us, and we've been loving his music too long to stop now.

The Life and Music of Irene Cara

Irene Cara gave the world two of the most famous movie songs of all time. But that's not all.

Yelp Reviews From the Top 10 Worst Meals in Literature

Cooking during the holiday season can be stressful. But look on the bright side: nothing you make will be anywhere near as bad as the food the characters eat in these books.

Good Grief! 10 Books to Read for Charles M. Schulz’s 100th Birthday

Security blankets. Great Pumpkins. Pulled-away footballs. If "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz hadn't been born 100 years ago, we'd have 10% fewer metaphors.

10 Offbeat Cookbooks That Have Nothing to Do With Turkey

Let's face it: lots of people do cranberries and stuffing. Pull a Thanksgiving meal out of one of these cookbooks instead and your family will talk about it for years.

10 Things That Will Put You in the Mood for The Banshees of Inisherin

Irish playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh has made a career out of telling stories about (mostly) men behaving (mostly) badly. Here are more titles in that vein.

10 of the Best Angela Lansbury Movies

Jessica Fletcher, a talking teapot, Sweeney Todd's enterprising neighbor -- Angela Lansbury was different things to different people, but she was always beloved.

Top 10 Ways to Get to Know Nobel Prize-Winning Author Annie Ernaux

Many Americans have never heard of Annie Ernaux, the latest winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. But now you're not one of them.

10 Ways to Remember Country Music Legend Loretta Lynn

Has any musician ever been as closely identified with one of their song titles as Loretta Lynn? She was a coal miner's daughter and so much more.

Top 10 Worst Schools in Books

By now everyone's gone back to school for fall. Which is sad. But at least you're not at one of these schools. So that's something.

5 Books to Read From Hilary Mantel, the Author of “Wolf Hall”

Hilary Mantel, who won prizes and acclaim with her trilogy of historical novels about Thomas Cromwell, died recently at the age of 70.

Banned Books Week: Anna in the Tropics

A Florida school district decided their high schoolers weren't mature enough to see a Pulitzer-winning play. Was it a pedagogically appropriate decision, or an overcautious curtailing of the students' intellectual development?

5 Ways to Catch Up on the Writing of Barbara Ehrenreich

Barbara Ehrenreich made her mark immersing herself in the daily lives of the overlooked. That passion never went away.

Five of David McCullough’s Best Books About History

Historian David McCullough's books are big and they're optimistic. Never read them? Here are five good places to start.

Ten Great Anne Heche Performances

The talented actor Anne Heche gave all she had to every performance, whether she got love from the audience for it or not.

10 Ways to Commemorate the Retirement of Tennis Legend Serena Williams

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is moving on to other things, and the sport may never be the same.

She’s the One That We Want: An Olivia Newton-Blog

The late pop star Olivia Newton-John left her impact on the culture by being more than one person at once.

Five Ways to Remember Late Actress Nichelle Nichols

She left the bridge of the Starship Enterprise only sparingly, but as Lieutenant Uhura, the late Nichelle Nichols beamed herself directly into the American consciousness.

15 Really Long Books About American History

Beach read season is over; pick one of these hefty books to inaugurate fall doorstop season, which is a totally real thing I just made up.

15 Historical Fiction Novels About Life in 19th Century America

History is stranger than fiction. With these books, you can have both.

10 Must Read Books If You Hate Flying

Air travel isn't for everyone. In fact, judging from these books, maybe it isn't for anyone.

The Five Worst Beach Vacations in Literature

Beach vacations can be a blast. Unless you're a character in a book, in which case maybe you should just stay home.

5 Books with Terrible Hotels

Have you ever listened to friends complaining about a disappointing hotel or a vacation spot? Well, the people in these books have entered the chat.

9 Asian-American Playwrights You Should Know

The American theater's representation of Asian experiences has often been problematic. These writers have tried to change that.

All the Stephen Sondheim Musicals You Need to Listen to and See

The late Stephen Sondheim was such a prolific juggernaut, a newcomer may not know where to start with his musical output. The Library can help with that.

Banned Books Week 2021: Captain Underpants and the Putrid Persecutions of the Beastly Book-Banner

Dav Pilkey's rollicking "Captain Underpants" books are routinely included on banned-book lists. Because underpants.

The Godfather of Comedy

Comedy writer Paul Mooney worked with household names without ever quite becoming one himself, but the mark he leaves on American culture is unmistakable.

The Comedy Stylings of Charles Grodin

The actor Charles Grodin left his mark on film, in books, and on late-night talk shows, but if all he'd ever done was irritate Robert DeNiro and romance Miss Piggy that would have been more than enough.

“Party Up” and Beyond

DMX left behind a robust catalog of gruff and visceral hip-hop tracks. If you want to go beyond megahit "Party Up" you're going to have to use your library card up in here, up in here.

Race and Police Violence in Children’s Books

News items about police violence involving Black Americans have become so prevalent even young kids can't help but become aware of them. Here are some books to help them make sense of it all.

Beverly Cleary, Age 104

Beverly Cleary, who died March 25 at the age of 104, was once named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, and rarely has such a distinction seemed so well-deserved.

Comics About Girls By Women For Kids

There was a time in human history when some people didn’t think comics were suitable reading material for girls. (There are some, even today, who don’t think comics are suitable reading material for anyone, but that’s a whole other outrage.)

The Performances of Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto built a distinguished and celebrated career on stage and screen, but certain fans of "Midnight Run" he'll always have a special place in our hearts as the other Alonzo Mosely.

The Life and Work of Cloris Leachman

There's more to the long and distinguished career of actor Cloris Leachman than "Young Frankenstein." But did I mention "Young Frankenstein?"

Daft Punk is Playing at Your House

Daft Punk became one of the most influential acts in pop and dance music. Which is why the French have that old saying: Never underestimate a couple of guys in robot helmets.

More Plays by Black Playwrights

Much of the most vital writing in the American theater today is coming from Black playwrights. Let the library acquaint you with a few

The Life and Art of Cicely Tyson

Before she died in January, the masterful Cicely Tyson performed in 29 movies and 68 TV programs. The library has some of them.

Books About the Trump Administration

Publishers love putting out books about whoever the current president is, but public interest in those titles tends to plummet as soon as the White House changes hands. Which makes sense: people love reading

Award-Winning Books 2020

The transition from an old year to a new one carries with it many benefits. A chance to reflect. A chance to try new things. A chance to pretend that you’re going to start exercising

Music and Dancing and All That Jazz

If it weren't for iconic dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking, there'd be an Ann Reinking-shaped hole in the middle of American culture -- and in the middle of the movie "Annie."

The Spy Who Wrote a Whole Lot of Books

Acclaimed spy novelist John le Carré recently died, leaving some readers nostalgic for his deftly plotted, character-centered espionage yarns and others realizing they've never read a John le Carré book. Time to fix that.

21 American Protest Songs

What do we want? Songs! When do we want them? As soon as this download is done!

Picture Books of the Lost… and Found

Some of the world's greatest picture books are about losing things, and I have a list of them right here... wait a minute, where did that list go?

Thanksgiving Movies and TV Shows

Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings. And besides family, friends, health, good fortune, coffee and pizza, is there anything we're more thankful for than stuff we can watch on TV?

Louise Glück and Other Nobel Prize Winning Authors

Poet Louise Glück recently became the latest author to receive a surprise phone call from the Nobel committee. It puts her in good -- if sometimes eccentric -- company.

Books That Take You Behind the Scenes of a Presidential Campaign

If you've ever worked for a presidential campaign, reported on a presidential campaign, or wandered somewhere near a presidential campaign, you've probably written a book about it. Maybe your book's on this list.

Thirty-two Monstrous Movies for Spooky Season

Not all of these movies are scary, but they all have monsters. Or monstrous behavior. And also, by the way, some of them are super scary.

American Politics in Movies

If this election year has gotten you to a point where you've had it up to here with real-world politicians, these movies offer you the chance to take a break and spend some time with fictional politicians.

Reading the Supremes

If you're curious about the Supreme Court, the many books published about the late and legendary RBG are just the tip of the Ginsburg. I mean iceberg.

Presidents in Picture Books

When you're President of the United States, you not only get use of a plane and an in-house bowling alley, you may also wind up the star of a children's picture book, possibly alongside a talking aardvark.

8 Ways to Learn More About the Legendary John Lewis

Whether you're a book reader, a movie buff, or a graphic novel aficionado, the library has what you need to find out more about congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis.

Picture Books About Imagination

With a purple crayon like the one Harold has, a person could solve all kinds of problems. This post includes a ton of imaginative picture books kids and parents will appreciate.

Good Day, Good Reads

Some days are good; some days aren't. As this picture book makes clear, it's as simple -- and as complicated -- as that.

20 Entertaining Picture Books for Kids Who Think Potty Humor is Hilarious

Fully 40% of the children's publishing industry is devoted to books about going to the bathroom, according to statistics I just made up.

Picture Books about the Native American Experience

A variety of picture books for children of all ages about the Native American experience.

Picture Books With Metaphors

This post includes a variety of children's books by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson along with a nice selection of picture books with metaphors.

Silly Picture Books With Unforgettable Characters

Picture books with mass media tie-ins, muppets, a well-known pigeon and characters who are completely aware of the fact that they're in books.

Picture Books Filled With a Variety of Characters, Wit, Humor and Much More

Stories and poems featuring atypical characters and memorable tales by Shel Silverstein, Mo Willems, Dr. Seuss, Adam Rex and many more.

Where the Wild Things Are and Other Notable Works by Maurice Sendak

Keen observations on notable works by beloved children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Ruth Bader Ginsblog

In her twenty-five years on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become both an influential jurist and a pop culture icon, and the library has books about her that are as idiosyncratic as she is.

Plays by African-American Playwrights

For decades, African-American playwrights have pushed the American theater to embrace bold, daring and popular new forms and have, in the process, contributed some of the most enduring stories and characters in the American literary canon. The library has on its shelves an assortment of scripts from this robust tradition.

Blog: Eric P