One of my favorite things about being a librarian is that, although one day I won’t know the first thing about a subject, the next day I’ll be obsessively ordering products on the Internet to feed a burgeoning hobby.

This February at ICPL, I was tapped to help put together their annual Anime Fest.  My little brother and my brother-in-law both thought this was HILARIOUS, being fairly well educated on the subject of Anime themselves.  They knew I was going to require some guidance.  First they schooled me in Yu Yu Hakusho and Azumanga Daioh, and then they helped me develop a bento-making dimension to the fest.  In other words: tiny lunches cut into cute shapes and then packed in attractive boxes.  Apparently this is a standard feature of Anime.  I proceeded to purchase an entire paycheck’s-worth of cute bento accessories; if you want, you can see photos of the humble beginnings of my bento endeavors here.  But what I really want to share are all the spoils of my obsessive internet research:

Favorite Bento Blogs:

• Adventures in Bento Making
• Anna the Red
• E-Obento
• Face Food: The Blog

Favorite Bento Books:

• Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches
• Face Food: The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes
• The Manga Cookbook
• Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go

Favorite Bento Supply Sites:

• Bento & Co.: The Bento Shop
• CasaBento: House of Bento
• J-List / J-Box
• J Flair

Do you have a favorite bento?  Although I really love all the bentos on E-Obento, I think my all time favorite has to be Anna the Red’s Katamari bento: