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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

It’s November. It may seem sad that the nights will be longer, the air will get colder, and the sun we fondly remember from spring and summer will be taking its own vacation, but there are ways to enjoy and even savor these nights with some delicious soup to warm your belly.

Soup is perhaps the comfiest of comfort foods. Perhaps, as a kid, when you came in from a wintry day of sledding or building snow forts, you had a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup (or chicken and basically whatever shape your noodles happened to be, from stars to your favorite Saturday morning heroes). Maybe you visited an aunt, uncle, or grandmother, and they introduced you to the greatest pairing of sandwich-based meals since peanut butter met jelly: a grilled-cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup.

Soup might bring feelings of nostalgia or create a gateway to happier times, familial bonds, or moments where you saw the snow accumulating outside and only wondered if and when school would be canceled for that day. Then again, you might just like soup because…well, soup sure tastes good when it’s cold outside, and the library has some delicious ways to enjoy America’s favorite drinkable meal. Director Julie Maruskin has some Dollar Store Gourmet soup recipes, delicious and inexpensive soups that will fill you up without draining your wallet.

Among the library’s vast collection of cookbooks is a selection of cookbooks devoted to soup and stews (you eat stew with a spoon, so it counts for this article). Maybe you’re in the mood for a simple soup recipe, and you’d like to try some 4-Step Soup Recipes (641.813 Four). In our Bookazine section, we have Bon Apetit: Essential, Soups, Stews, and Chilis (Bookazines COOKING) because sometimes you might need the spice a good, hearty chili can provide. If you prefer a rich and thick chowder, the book 50 Chowders: One-Pot Meals: Clam, Corn & Beyond (641.813 Whit) has some great soups that deliciously push the definition of chowder.

You are also welcome to share the joy of soup this November by participating in the library, and CC’s Closet’s Soup Can Challenge. Until the end of November, bring a can of soup to the library and get a free book from our lobby bookshelf (because who doesn’t want a free book?).

Here’s hoping that everyone can find, wherever you can find it, some soup in your tummy, a song in your heart, and a ray of sunshine not stolen by the November overcast.

And don’t forget to satisfy your mind with some of our programming this week:

November 16, 2022, at 2-4 p.m. The Kentucky Picture Show presents a film about Eve White, a quiet, mousy, unassuming wife, and mother who discovers other personalities living inside her. Snacks will be provided.

Also, on November 16, 2022, at 9-11 a.m., the library has Yoga Flow, beginning yoga classes that help students develop healthy breath work, improve balance, strengthen muscles and bones, and increase stamina. Students move at their own pace. Proper alignment is emphasized for safety. For information or to sign up for classes, contact Yoga Focus with Kathy: call 859-745-4699 or email kkh1231@roadrunner.com.