One of the great features of the Princeton Public Library is The Library Store. Since we opened The Sands Library Building back in 2004, the Friends of the Library have run a bookstore on the first floor. From its humble beginnings as two bookcases next to the stairs, the bookstore has expanded to include over […]
As Mason Cooley once said, “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” From Hogwarts and Narnia to East Egg and the Pequod, books have the power to transport us to different times and cities, even an alternate universe. As an avid reader, I most enjoy books that show […]
Once in a blue moon, I read a book so incredible that I can’t stop talking about it. I have to recommend it constantly–at book festivals when I speak on panels, to customers at the Checkout Desk, to friends and family, and on social media. “First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety” by Sarah […]
Recently a colleague posed this question to the library staff: What books are helping you understand the world right now? The results of this survey are compiled in a public book list, and you have the opportunity to contribute your own book ideas to this list. In addition to books, podcasts can help provide context for contemporary events and […]
As my grandmother said, “A change of scene is as good as a rest.” With this in mind, a friend and I have been planning weekly lunch hour work breaks this summer to get in a rejuvenating hour somewhere other than the Witherspoon Street corridor, preferably outdoors. We managed to picnic in the Institute Woods, walk […]
It had been well over a year since the last time I baked chocolate chip cookies. After following a low carbohydrate diet for the past several months, I could no longer tame the voice in my head that had been pleading for homemade cookies. I dug out my treasured copy of “Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook,” […]
Even if most people are not fans of insects, chances are that they tend to have a soft spot for butterflies. Perhaps this stems from memories of raising monarch butterflies in grade school, or watching them feed in a grandmother’s garden. However, despite their popularity, monarch butterflies appear to be fluttering towards extinction. According to […]
It is a bit of understatement to say Princeton is a beautiful town. Those of us fortunate enough to live or work here are treated every day to the lush tree-lined streets and spectacular architecture of the town and Princeton University. While Princeton is mostly known for the collegiate Gothic buildings of the University (lots […]
A few months ago, my partner and I started watching the Greatest American Films of All Time, according to the American Film Institute, starting with #100. This is a long-term entertainment plan, given that finding the time to watch even one movie per week is challenging. Prior to this undertaking, I might watch one movie a […]
Whether we realize it or not, we’re all writers. We text our mothers or partners to tell them we will be late for dinner or, in my case, write posts for the library’s blog. From books and articles to texts and emails, we all recognize the power of the written word. It can be utilized to […]