Staying Healthy with Your Library: LGBTQ History & Culture

With materials from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including major international activist organizations, local, grassroots groups, and governments, the database LGBTQ History & Culture (also known as the Archives of Sexuality and Gender) collects an incredible set of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. Use this resource to investigate how sexual norms have changed over time, health and hygiene, the development of sex education, the rise of sexology, changing gender roles, social movements and activism, erotica, and many more topic areas.

To access this database from your own device, sign in with your library card number and PIN, then select LGBTQ History & Culture from our list of Online Resources.

If You Enjoy Fantasy Roleplaying Games…

I know many of you out there are spending a lot of time these days playing Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) on Roll20, Discord, or even Zoom. You might be playing The Witcher 3 on your Nintendo Switch, or revisiting the tundra of Skyrim on your Xbox One. Maybe you’re even going to your local comic shop for curbside pickup of the newest Magic: The Gathering release. Whether you enjoy classic Sword and Sorcery adventures, can’t get enough of political machinations, or you prefer slice-of-life tales of magic users, I have some great fantasy comics recommendations for you!

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins by Matt Mercer, Matthew Colville, Olivia Samson, and Chris Northrop

You may have noticed that Dungeons & Dragons is really popular at the moment, as are most tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). One of the most popular streaming campaigns is Critical Role. This comic is a prequel to their first campaign (yes, you’re hundreds of hours and a campaign behind), and reveals how our group of adventurers, known as Vox Machina, came together in the first place,

Staying Healthy with Your Library: Consumers’ Checkbook – Healthcare Providers

Consumers’ Checkbook is the local Consumer Reports, but for services instead of products. It’s a consumer-driven non-profit with clear methods for ratings and reviews. In the Puget Sound region, you’ll find they have reviews for thousands of doctors, dentists, massage therapists, psychologists, nursing homes, and more.

To access this database from your own device, sign in with your library card number and PIN, then select Consumers’ Checkbook from our list of Online Resources.

Recommendations from My Precarious Piles of Printed Pictures and Prose

I moved in the middle of this pandemic, and have nearly twenty open boxes and unsorted piles of comics and graphic novels sitting around. Revisiting the books I already own (whether I’ve gotten around to reading them all, or not) while unpacking has been incredibly fun, and is the basis of the following comics recommendations.

ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean

From the creator of the visceral and absurd Head Lopper, ApocalyptiGirl is similarly distinct in its art presentation and story pacing. The story follows Aria and her cat, Jelly Beans, as they search through a seemingly abandoned city for a mysterious artifact. Unsurprisingly, this plan is interrupted by unsavory locals and others with designs on the artifact. This story really excels in it’s mix of frenetic action and ponderous moments, letting us ruminate over the many mysteries of the world, then pulling us back into the narrative without ever fully revealing what’s going on.

DIE vol. 1 Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

DIE is a wonderfully bleak combo of moody aesthetics and a fantasy storytelling melange. Described by writer Kieron Gillen as “Goth Jumanji”, DIE follows a group of now middle-aged “friends” who are once again pulled into the dangerous role playing game that they’d previously survived as teens. If you’re looking for a mix of Jumanji, the Bronte siblings, table-top role playing games, or Timeline, you should read this comic.

Staying Healthy with Your Library: Consumer Reports – Health Products

Consumer Reports, publishing their well-known magazine since 1936, is an “independent, nonprofit member organization that works side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace.” Consumer Reports online includes buying guides with ratings for hundreds of health-related products in dozens of categories including hearing aids, bike helmets, sunscreens, and fitness trackers.

To access this database from your own device, sign in with your library card number and PIN, then select Consumer Reports from our list of Online Resources.