Make a list: ‘100 Things to Do in Ohio Before You Die’ | Book Talk
There are more than 100 things in “100 Things to Do in Ohio Before You Die” by Plain City native Brandy Gleason. She needs a lot of things; as her website notes, she has eight children and three grandchildren. That’s a lot of things to do.
Some of the things are accompanied by “tips,” add-ons to the main event, so if you’re staying overnight at the venerable Golden Lamb in Lebanon, be sure to hit the Harmon Museum. Many have also-rans: Gleason names Young’s Jersey Dairy as the best ice cream shop in Ohio but mentions five others as well.
Many of the things will be no surprise — the Ohio State Fair, Cedar Point, Stan Hywet. Gleason does not specify how she chooses her things to do, listing one restaurant and shop instead of another, but she’s open to comments on her Gleason Family Adventure Facebook page and her Instagram account of the same name.
Books like this can be ephemeral, running the risk of web addresses and sites becoming obsolete. A random check found no broken links or bad addresses. There is a section of color photos in the center of the book.
“100 Things” might be a good gift for newcomers to Ohio, cluing them in on when the maple syrup festival is, what beach is best for finding beach glass and where to go ziplining.
“100 Things to Do in Ohio Before You Die” (192 pages, softcover) costs $22.50 from Reedy Press. It’s part of a series of about 170 “Before You Die” books, which sounds kind of like a threat when you think of it. Gleason wrote “100 Things to Do in Amish Country Before You Die” in 2022.
Gleason will sign “100 Things to Do in Ohio Before You Die” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at End of the Commons General Store, 8719 State Route 534, Mesopotamia, and from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Books-a-Million, 5555 Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles.
Events
Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Don Iannone reads from “Stories from an Hourglass: A Personal Memoir About My Life and Work,” 1 p.m. Sunday. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Bradley Poore signs his picture book “Opera Andy.” At 7 p.m. Thursday, poet Robert Bernard Hass (“Counting Thunder”) reads from his work.
Italian American Museum of Cleveland (12111 Mayfield Road): Jo Piazza, author of “The Sicilian Inheritance,” talks about her novel, 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Colum McCann (“Let the Great World Spin” won a 2009 National Book Award) and Diane Foley join the Online Author Talk Series with “American Mother,” McCann’s book about Foley’s son James, a freelance journalist who was captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, 2 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.
Cleveland Public Library (Mount Pleasant branch, 14000 Kinsman Road): Poet Ali Black reads from her work and conducts a poetry workshop, 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Union Club (1211 Euclid Ave., Cleveland): Jennifer D. Sciubba joins the Cleveland Council on World Affairs to talk about “8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World,” 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Admission for nonmembers is $25; go to ccwa.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road): Don Ake discusses “Deep, Heavy Stuff: Thoughts and Essays for Enriching Your Life,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Medina County District Library (210 S. Broadway St., Medina): Crime writer James Renner talks about “Little, Crazy Children,” about the 1990 murder of Shaker Heights teen Lisa Pruett, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Register at mcdl.info.
Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Poets John Amen (“Dark Souvenirs”) and Clarissa Jakobsons (“Baltic Amber in a Chest”) read from their work, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Maltz Performing Arts Center (1855 Ansel Road, Cleveland): Rebecca Makkai joins the William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage series with “I Have Some Questions for You,” 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Individual tickets start at $35; go to cuyahogalibrary.org.
Akron-Summit County Public Library (Fairlawn-Bath branch, 3101 Smith Road): Eric Walker discusses his debut novel, “Lost Souls Recovered,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Joanna Hardis talks about “Just Do Nothing: A Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): John Gorman (“The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio”), former WMMS DJ Denny Sanders and Buzzard cartoonist David Helton join the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party series to present “50 Years of the Buzzard,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Dinner costs $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.
Twinsburg Public Library (10050 Ravenna Road): Amanda Flower hosts a tea party to talk about “To Slip the Bonds of Earth,” her historical mystery about the Wright Brothers’ sister Katharine, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at twinsburglibrary.org.
Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): 2024 Writer in Residence Brandi Larsen holds one-on-one meetings, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.
Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Akron native Anne Hegnauer signs “The House at 104: Memoir of a Childhood,” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Geauga County Public Library (Chardon branch, 110 E. Park St.): A local author fair will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Stark Library (Jackson Community branch, 7487 Fulton Drive NW): Don Ake discusses “Deep, Heavy Stuff,” 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at starklibrary.org.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘100 Things to Do in Ohio Before You Die’ offers travel ideas
