from the archive


Tag: summer reading


Change your view this summer


As easily as a song can get stuck in your head, so can a story. Whether it’s a book, series, film, or something else, you’ll find yourself continuously thinking about it, mentally replaying your favorite parts, or the parts that challenged you, and wondering what comes next. The stories that stick with you can change […]


Stay cool and tune into virtual summer reading programs


We are more than half way through 2020 and a good part of the way through the summer. As some activities and businesses slowly open up, remember that you can continue to connect virtually with the librarians at Princeton Public Library through upcoming adult summer reading programming. If you haven’t yet participated in any of […]


A universe of sci-fi films


If you’ve been to the library at all in the past couple of months, you will have noticed the plethora of space-themed paraphernalia decorating our shelves, particularly on the children’s floor. Thanks to this year’s summer reading theme, “A Universe of Stories”—a nationwide theme selected by the Collaborative Summer Library Program—we at the Princeton Public […]


Testing the waters


Our Summer Reading program for adults has begun!  This year, we’re challenging you to read in a variety of genres and formats. Most readers already know what they like, and what they really don’t like, but it’s the stuff in between that poses the problem. You know people who read romance, fantasy, or poetry, for […]


Get out there and read


Reading gargoyle

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 […]


It has to work


Like other sports fans, I often worry that watching and thinking about sports may be selfish and wasteful. I want the time I spend in the stands, watching television, reading articles, or listening to podcasts to have broader significance. I want my appreciation for sports to further my development as a moral being, critical thinker, and leader for meaningful causes.


Book buzz: families full of drama


There was gasoline to set a house on fire, a wronged wife, a dead husband and a sister in danger, with suspected crooked law enforcement agents and politicos galore, so nobody could be trusted. At this critical point in the story, my audiobook loan inconveniently expired. My book was deleted from my app's bookshelf, leaving me waiting in suspense while several people behind me with holds finished their borrowing and my turn came up again.


Order in the court


Watching some of my college classmates take the bar exam and attain their law degrees has me hankering for a good courtroom drama. While we can't all observe a thrilling legal case firsthand, we can certainly take a front row seat in an imaginative work of fiction. A peek into another walk of life also aligns with our summer reading theme, "Escape the Ordinary." The list below features hard-hitting stories with riveting courtroom scenes sure to keep you engaged during the dog days of summer.


Calling all adults: Escape the ordinary


Now that we are moving into the second half of summer, it's the perfect time to encourage you to pick up a challenge card and join this year's adult summer reading club. We are fairly certain that the majority of readers have already completed challenges that fulfill our "Escape the Ordinary" theme. Why not win a prize for your efforts? Participants have until Aug. 30 to submit entries in exchange for raffle tickets for the opportunity to win great local prizes. 


Summer’s ultimate author panel


Nothing says "summer" quite like relaxing on the beach with an umbrella drink in hand and that book you've been wanting to read all spring. And nothing says "buzzworthy" quite like a gathering of the most popular chick lit authors of the season. Put them both together, and you have the perfect recipe for a fun girls' night out! Join us on Friday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. for our summer reading kickoff event, Beach Reads Night!


Be the first to know


Simon & Schuster recently held a breakfast for librarians to showcase its summer list. A way to build buzz and generate excitement for the objects of our desire (books!), these publishing events are a highly anticipated outing. Below are some titles to look out for. They're not in our catalog yet, but rest assured, they will be.


A great year in Youth Services


When I realized my next blog was going to be posted on New Year’s Eve, I knew I had to write about the wonderful year we had up on the third floor. Youth Services is always a bustling place, sometimes so busy that we often lose sight of just what happens on a day-to-day basis.


Wrinkling time


Summer has blown by. How time flies. This summer, I took a closer look at the past, time travelling across the Princeton University campus on a whirlwind gargoyle-spotting tour with the Library’s Youth Services staff. We spotted this fellow high up on the reading room wall at Firestone Library. He reminds me of a goggled aviator, exploring worlds in his books.  


Summertime, Youth Services style


We’ve hit our midway point for Summer Reading and programming in Youth Services. It seems like only yesterday we were out in the schools promoting the programs, now here we are over one month later with more than 1,200 preschoolers, children and teens enrolled in our summer reading clubs! Nothing short of amazing if you ask me!


The Gargoyles of Princeton


Did you know that Princeton University is home to many gargoyles? These grotesque, carved figures of humans or animals reside along the corners of many University buildings. Often they are found along the gutters, acting as water spouts for rain.
On Tuesday, July 10 at 2:00 pm Youth Services librarians Allison Santos and Martha Perry-Liu will lead a tour on the University campus and help you discover these gothic creatures.We plan to highlight 13 of these unusual beings and offer a brief history of each.


For reading out loud


When you walk in or out of the library lobby this Wednesday, June 20, you will be unlikely to miss the 2012 Princeton Public Library Reading Filibuster. Staff and the public (pre-registration is encouraged) will be taking turns reading the book “The Phantom Tollbooth,” the children’s classic by Norton Juster, starting with its first page at 9:30 a.m.


Book buzz


If you've read 2012 Pulitzer Fiction Jury member Michael Cunningham's recent New Yorker pieces on what really happened behind-the-scenes in the year-without-a-fiction winner debacle, you may have gotten a tiny teaser for the July 24th Books on Tap selection,

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