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The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl Cover

#QuirkyWomenOfColor

Sisters who are smart, silly and social-media savvy.

These women of color are taking the world (wide web) by storm and unapologetically telling their stories.  The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae

The Boy with 17 Senses

Worlds Where Senses Mix, Part One

Explorations of Synesthesia in Children's Fiction

Young people are often taught that humans have five separate senses. However, the neurological condition of synesthesia, in which a stimulus of one sense involuntarily evokes another sense, challenges the assumed universality of distinct senses. Although once thought to be very rare, recent scientific research has found that as many as 4 percent of people have at least one of over 80 kinds of synesthesia.

A Study in Sherlock cover

The Game is Afoot

Celebrate the 130th Anniversary of Sherlock Holmes

The first Sherlock Holmes story was published in December of 1887 and, as evidenced by the popularity of the BBC’s show Sherlock, he still resonates with us today.  Have you read all the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories?

Ella Minnow Pea

FUNomenal Wordplay

Novels for Wordplay Lovers

For most of my life I've been fond of zany wordplay, such as palindromes, anagrams, puns, lipograms, pangrams, oxymorons, and alliteration. I have discovered some novelists who share a similar fascination and whimsically employ wordplay in their fiction, even as they also explore deeper themes. If you too are a wordplay enthusiast, check out the children's and adult novels below.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Comfort Reads for Troubled Times

So lately the term “self-care” has been very popular.  (I can’t imagine why that could be.)  The library is here for you in many ways.  We have yoga and meditation classes.  We have quiet and comfy chairs.  My colleague Reza S. has some non-fiction recommendations for you.    

Orphan Master's Son cover

Fiction about North Korea

And Fiction by North Koreans

So, um, North Korea has been in the news a lot lately.  Now might be a good time to read some of their fiction.  However, there really isn’t a lot of it that is available to the world outside North Korea. Until recently, there hasn’t been any unauthorized work making its way out of the country, which is exceptionally chilling, given that unauthorized fiction tends to find its way out of all authoritarian regimes. (People need to tell their stories.)  However, this March saw the U.S.

Back to College

The campus novel

I went to a state university. It was really big, and a lot of my fellow students were adults with jobs and kids and, you know, actual lives. So there really wasn't much campus life going on. I don't regret my decision (I saved a ton of money) but I do envy people who had "real" college experiences.

Flashlight

Who Said Books Need Words?

Indulge in these fantastic wordless picture books!

Wordless picture books are a fantastic format to boost children’s literacy skills and to foster a rich imagination. These books allow children to interpret the illustrations and create their own stories as they “read” the book – one book can have countless stories within it! They also reinforce the fact that pictures tell as much of a story as words do, they help children develop storytelling skills, and when you “read” the book with them, you can introduce them to a plethora of new vocabulary.

Rock Hard cover

Rockers, Bikers, and Mobsters – Oh My!

Bad Boy Heroes With Hearts of Gold

Three hot trends in contemporary romance and romantic suspense are rock stars, motorcycle clubs, and mobsters. Not sure these trends are for you? Try the short novella Rock Courtship by Nalini Singh to dip your toe in the water. Looking for bikers with a protective streak?

Go-Between cover

What I Did Last Summer

Eight Books About "That One Summer"

There is a reason why “The Summer that Changed My Life” is a college admission essay staple.  For a young person, it's three whole months of relatively unstructured time.  Something interesting has to happen, right?  Novelists feel the same way.  There are so many novels that take place over a single summer.  Here is just a sample:  

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