The Christmas when I was 12, my uncle gave my mother the audiobook tapes of “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt as a gift in our family exchange. She may have listened to the first tape once, but otherwise I don’t think she ever heard them, because I stole them away almost immediately. I began listening […]
Almost everyone is guilty of falling into an online rabbit hole at some point or another. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed my online behavior going from entering rabbit holes to carving out full rabbit burrows. Instead of a few hours following a trail, I’ve started to spend days or weeks linking one idea […]
Am I good enough? What’s wrong with me? These questions, along with constant nervousness, stem from the paralyzing anxiety I deal with every day. Social situations can prove to be difficult and worrying about the smallest task is all too common. Struggling with anxiety is no easy task. It can cause me to lose focus, […]
One of the most commonly asked questions we receive is, “Can you show me how to download a book?” The library’s ebook collection has proven to be incredibly popular, as evidenced by the steadily increasing number of items borrowed each month. To many people, electronic copies of books feel magical. It can be hard to […]
To paraphrase the great Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a new release book by a popular author — or a book that has received rave reviews — will have an enormous hold list. You know how it goes: The latest Lee Child book, or the latest literary critical darling like “Pachinko” or […]
Since the clocks turned back and daylight hours dwindle on our way to winter, I find less time to read. Dark evenings make me feel less productive, and I am liable to fall asleep on the couch at 7 p.m. while reading. I particularly enjoy short stories and novellas in these moments. They are long enough […]
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The brisk, snapping air, the marigold crunch of leaves underfoot, cozy nights under cozy blankets — what’s not to love? One of my favorite autumn activities is curling up with a great book, and since I’m a big mood reader, I like finding books that match the season. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
My inbox has been deluged with summer reading recommendations– from publishers, from professional organizations, from other libraries and from some famous people. Taking a quick survey of summer reading lists I’ve been sent over the month of June (not counting the summer reading lists we have been busy making for adults, for kids and for teens), there are […]
As an avid reader, my home is filled with books. Whether it is one bookshelf or five or a coffee table made out of stacks, there are piles of books in every nook and cranny. Old copies and new copies, leather-bound and paperbacks, first or signed editions, not yet read or spines broken from love, […]
My resolution plate is happily empty, as I’ve chosen to skate by picking goals to live up to this year. In this waning January of 2018, I find I’m revisiting not-quite-left-behind connections and planning to pick up the pieces. I will refocus daily on juggling work and work life, home and home life, projects, health, […]
“No one that I ever knew was nicer to me…she was delightful and charming and welcoming and behind her, as high as the wall and stretching out into the back room which gave onto the inner court of the building, were shelves and shelves of the wealth of the library.” -Ernest Hemingway, A MOVEABLE FEAST If […]
What is a crossover book? In the publishing industry, a crossover book is one marketed toward either young adult (YA) readers or adult readers, but frequently read and enjoyed by both teens and adults. The Hunger Games trilogy is one particularly popular example. Check out this list of 15 crossover novels—all available at the Princeton Public Library! Daughter […]
Stories of families account for much of my summer reading so far, having recently waded into three wonderful novels and one quirky memoir that are powerful family portraits: Moonglow by Michael Chabon, All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg, What We Lose by Zinni Clemmons, and The Mighty Franks by Michael Frank. I didn’t purposely seek out a suite […]
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