A Librarian’s Guide to “Longform” Reading

August 11, 2020August 4, 2020 / emclaughlinz / Leave a comment

Long-form journalism is a branch of journalism dedicated to longer articles with larger amounts of content. Typically this will be between 1,000 and 20,000 words. Long-form articles often take the form of creative nonfiction or narrative journalism

Publications such as Reader’s Digest, The Atlantic, and Harper’s Bazaar popularized this format of writing, which led to the founding of several new long form coverage companies such as The Atavist and Longreads. These articles tend to be categorized as “non-fiction” with a majority of the titles falling into human interest or think piece articles on a specific topic. These topics cover a broad range of subjects, including but not limited to: crime, art’s and culture, books, business and tech, current events, essays and criticism, food, profiles and interviews, science and nature, and sports. Much like a non-fiction book, these articles are long enough to really develop a story, and inform you on topics you may not know much about. Personally, this is my favorite part about reading longform. These articles help you learn more about a topic, without overwhelming you with becoming an expert. They also give you a view into a strangers lifestyle, ideas or hobbies, which is one of the many reasons why non-fiction keeps me coming back for more.

There are thousands of articles that are as long as books, or as short as short stories, on thousands of different topics and subject matters. If you’re overwhelmed with where to start, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite “longform” websites, as well as several popular non-fiction titles available at the Cheshire Public Library.

1. First up is Narratively, which is my favorite of all. Narratively’s tagline is “celebrating humanity through authentic storytelling”. The website works with a network of over 3,000 talented journalists and storytellers that explore the hidden stories of the world, focusing on the “underdogs” and the “overlooked tales that enlighten us”. The website has several subsections, including: hidden history, memoir, renegades, secret lives, and super subcultures. Examples of articles include “Secret Life of a Children’s Party Princess“, which explores the not so glamorous life of a part time princess, full time college student, as well as “That Time I Conducted an Autopsy Without Any Medical Training” or the mistaken identity of a med school poser. These articles, and many others, are charming, heartbreaking, and insightful. Narratively is a gem of a website, and worth coming back to again and again.

2. Longreads and Longform are two fantastic websites that recommend longer works of fiction across the web. Each feature in-depth investigative reporting, interviews and profiles, podcasts, essays and criticism. Both websites curate content from a variety of different publications including, The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, and Cosmopolitan. Articles include a variety of subject matters from serious to silly, including “Taken: How police departments make millions by seizing property” (Anna Lee, Nathaniel Cary, and Mike Ellis, The Greenville News) and “I Walked 600 Miles Across Japan for Pizza Toast” by Craig Mod. Each website is updated frequently, and each hosts a fantastic array of human interest stories as well as investigative reporting.

All of these websites have a handy feature which lets you subscribe to their stories, which sends you articles by email on a weekly basis. This lets you cater your taste in articles, and lets you catch up on news when you have a moment. It’s a fantastic way to exercise your brain, and learn more about the world around you.

If you’d prefer a physical title, the Cheshire Public Library has a large collection of non-fiction titles, as well as newspapers for current events and other human interest pieces. My personal favorite is our biography section, as well as our true crime selection. A few new titles that I’ve been enjoying lately are “Three Women” by Lisa Taddeo, and “I’ll be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle MacNamara, . There are plenty of titles on a variety of subjects, and if you see gaps or something we don’t have, you can always feel free to mention it to a staff member (we’re pretty great about supplying titles our patrons suggest!)

Looking for more? Here are some titles from our new non-fiction section:

Magnificent Magazines @CPL

April 23, 2019March 22, 2019 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Today’s post comes to us from Cheshire Library’s Deputy Director, Deb Rutter:

Magazines are popular with our readers at Cheshire Library and there are more ways than ever to access them!

Prefer traditional paper? The last decade or so has been tough on print magazines. Favorites such as Newsweek, Glamour, Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, Redbook, and the Ladies’ Home Journal have ceased publication or switched to a newsstand-only or digital-only format. Others have reduced the number of issues per year. But even with the decline in print magazines, there are still great new titles popping up. We’ve just added 3 new magazines to our collection: Cowboys and Indians, which highlights the life and style of the modern American West, The Magnolia Journal, created by popular HGTV hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines, and Pioneer Woman, created by author and TV personality Ree Drummond. We have over 130 other magazine titles on the lower level adjacent to our new quiet reading area. Enjoy reading the latest issue of your favorites in the library in our new quiet reading lounge, or check out previous issues to take home.

Downloadable magazines are a great option as you can read them on your tablet, phone or computer. We have two magazine platforms available to our CPL cardholders, RBdigital and Overdrive/Libby (non-CPL cardholders, check with your local library to find out what digital platforms are available there). RBdigital features 34 magazine titles, including The Economist (which we do not offer in paper format), Eating Well, Discover, Better Homes and Gardens, and more. One of my personal favorites is National Geographic, which includes additional video content and is absolutely glorious on an IPad—so glorious that one of my neighbors purchased an IPad after seeing the National Geographic on mine! You can “subscribe” to as many magazines as you would like and receive an email notifying you when the newest issue is ready to be read or downloaded to your device of choice. It really doesn’t get much easier. Overdrive/Libby offers about 50 magazine titles including Cosmopolitan, Car & Driver, Esquire, and TV Guide. There is some overlap in content between the 2 platforms, (for example, you can access Newsweek and Popular Science through both platforms) but the subscription feature is available only through RBdigital.

Are we missing some of your favorites? Email us and let us know what they are. No promises, but we may be able to add some of them to our collection!

Collection Spotlight: Magazines for Children and Teens

January 30, 2017January 13, 2017 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Cheshire Public Library subscribes to a variety of magazine, both in print and digitally. Print Magazines for adults are kept on the lower level, and get a good amount of traffic. Our digital offerings via Zinio and Overdrive also get a good deal of use. However, I think people forget about the print magazines we carry for our children and young adult readers.

Our children’s magazines live on and end caps of the children’s chapter books shelves. Included with the children’s magazines are a few selections for parents and family reading. New items are on one side of the shelf and back issues are on the opposite end of the same shelf.

The young adult magazines are housed in the teen room in a corner by the bistro table and end of the manga collection. All magazines circulate for a two week loan period, but are renewable. If the issue you are looking for is not available a hold can be placed on it. Simply stop by any service desk or call to place a hold.

Our children’s magazine collection includes: LEGO Club Magazine, The Horn Book Magazine, Kids Discover, Chop Chop, National Geographic Kids, Discovery Girls, Girls’ Life, American Girl, Ladybug, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Zoobooks, Ask!: Arts and Sciences for Kids, Plays, Muse, Highlights Hello, Ranger Rick, Ranger Rick Jr, Boys’ Life, Brick Journal, Highlights for Children, and Cobblestone.

The magazines for parents and family include: Practical Homeschooling, Parents , and Family Fun.

Our young adult magazine collection includes: Game Informer Magazine: For Video Game Enthusiasts, Teen Vogue, Mad, Seventeen, J-14, and Twis t.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library – Magazines

January 9, 2017December 1, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

whats magazine

The Cheshire Library offers approximately 350 magazines on a wide variety of topics. There’s something here for everyone! Below is a list of the top 20 magazines that circulated during 2016.

1. People – An American weekly magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. With a readership of 46.6 million adults, People has the largest audience of any American magazine.

2. The New Yorker Magazine – An American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It is published by Condé Nast.

3. Rolling Stone – An American biweekly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine’s publisher.

4. Martha Stewart Living – An American monthly magazine featuring entertaining and home decorating. It is published by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

5. National Geographic – An American monthly magazine focusing on geography, history, and world culture. It is published by National Geographic Partners.

6. Redbook – An American women’s magazine published monthly by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the “Seven Sisters”, a group of women’s service magazines.

7. Cooking Light – Cooking Light is an American monthly food and lifestyle magazine^. Each month, the magazine includes approximately 100 original recipes as well as editorial content covering food trends, fitness tips, and other culinary and health-related news.

8. Family Handyman – An American monthly home-improvement magazine, owned by the Reader’s Digest Association.

9. New York Times Magazine – A Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazine is also noted for its photography, especially relating to fashion and style.

10. Architectural Digest – An American monthly magazine featuring interior design, not architecture more generally, as the name of the magazine suggests. The magazine is published by Condé Nast.

11. Money – An American monthly magazine that covers the gamut of personal finance topics. Published by Time, Inc.

12. Time – An American weekly magazine published in New York City. It covers news in a very broad sense.

13. Prevention – An American monthly lifestyle magazine published by Rodale Press.

14. Cook’s Illustrated – An American cooking magazine published by America’s Test Kitchen in Brookline, Massachusetts, every two months.

15. O: The Oprah Magazine – An American monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation, primarily marketed at women.

16. Good Housekeeping – An American monthly women’s magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women’s interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles.

17. Country Living – An American monthly magazine focusing on cooking, decorating, gardening and antiques. It is published by Hearst Corporation.

18. Cosmopolitan – An American monthly magazine featuring articles on women’s issues. It is published by Hearst Corporation.

19. Traditional Home – An American magazine published 8 times a year. It features design and decorating for the affluent reader. It is published by Meredith Corporation.

20. Real Simple – An American monthly women’s interest magazine. It is published by Time, Inc.

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Not Quite Old School Anymore

October 16, 2015September 28, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been lagging behind in embracing some technology. I was still using a flip phone and was quite content with it. But in keeping with my recent foray with new things (moving into a new home and buying way too many new things for it) and the fact that my phone was barely working, I took a huge leap and bought a smart phone.

It was quite a process and I took my time in researching the various options. I started off by going to Cheshire Library’s website and under Research it! I clicked on Consumer Reports. From there I looked up the articles reviewing smart phones and thoroughly read them. This was a great resource for someone who didn’t know anything about smart phones. I settled on a phone I thought would be the best for me. But in the end, knowing I would need some tech help from my daughters, I went with the same phone that they have.

If you are looking to move to a smart phone, or are thinking of replacing your current smart phone, the Cheshire Library is a great place to start. Besides Consumer Reports, here are a few books that also might help you.