Blog Posts by Subject: Thanksgiving Day

We've got a selection of engaging author talks coming up this month at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Come listen to scholars and other experts discuss their recent non-fiction books on a variety of subjects and ask them questions.

At our last Open Book Night we asked our Mid-Manhattan readers to share a book or an author they were thankful for, or to tell us about a story or book they associated with Thanksgiving.

Ah, Thanksgiving. Turkey dinners, football games, and lots and lots of family time—so check out some books and plays that feature families coming together for group meals or celebrations that ends in disaster.

We talked to librarians to find out the books they are most thankful for this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! In honor of the holiday, here's a page from one of my favorite drawing manuals in the collection, 1913's What to Draw and How to Draw It by E. G. Lutz.

This turkey (along with his tiny companion, the fantail pigeon) is just one of dozens of possibilities — like owls, elephants, pelicans, pigs, castles, cats, and men and ladies — you'll find in these pages. Want to see the entire book? It's been digitized and you can

One of my favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions is sitting down to watch the Macy's parade with a bagel and a cup of tea. Watching the parade helps get me ready for the long day of cooking that awaits.

Last year, Melissa Sweet published a wonderful book entitled Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Tony Sarg first began working at Macy's when he was hired to create movable puppets for the store's holiday windows. In 1924, Macy's asked Sarg to help 

Although the rapidly approaching holidays usually only induces feelings of anxiety, I do look forward to getting out the cookware and making my tried and true holiday desserts and side dishes such as English trifle, Danish rice pudding (risengrød a la mande) and sweet potatoes baked in a sauce of maple syrup, butter and BOURBON!

You heard me, a little bourbon makes something I used to dislike when I was younger into the talk of any Thanksgiving get-together. Basically, after gently boiling 3 lbs. of scrubbed sweet potatoes in their skins for about 15-20 

A confession: I've never cooked a turkey. Sides, yes. Desserts, of course. But a turkey? Nope. I leave that to the experts. For me, turkey is the least exciting part of Thanksgiving. Sure, it may be the perfect vehicle for cranberry sauce. And turkey leftovers do make for a tasty soup, but if I had my druthers, I'd just as soon stick to chicken.

All this turkey bashing is just my way of explaining why you won't find any turkey basting in my Thanksgiving picks below. Everyone has their own method of preparing the bird, and I certainly wouldn't want anyone taking advice from a