Story Tags

Midnight in Siberia

Mother Russia

Adventures in the Land of Putin and Beyond

Russia has been in the news a lot over the last four years and usually not in a good light. There is that thing called the 2016 election and Russia’s interference. The United States and Russia/The Soviet Union have not always had the best rapport but, love it or hate it, Russia is addictive. Its people are beautiful and strong. And, while cold and allusive at first, they are some of the warmest and most welcoming people in the world.

Bad-Ass Librarians Timbuktu

Books About Books in Troubled Times

While finding time to read can feel like a luxury, books have often been vital and necessary for surviving and sustaining through difficult times. Many people have also found many books and collections important enough to risk their own lives in order to protect them. The following books dive into the role books, manuscripts and libraries have played in times of war, crisis and change.  

Theroux's Deep Sout

United States of Complexity

Red, White, and Who?

We certainly live in times of great divisiveness: politically, economically and racially. We live in a very complex country varying from region to region in its political persuasions, cultural backgrounds, and systems of belief. The following books take aim by their respective authors of truly seeking to understand a group of “other” Americans and why they believe what they do and why they pursue the things they do.

Ninety Percent of Everything

Seafaring Journeys with Cargo

Nonfiction Explorations of Maritime Shipping

Last year I traveled as a passenger for almost four weeks on two transatlantic cargo ships. Since I've returned, I have been reading books to gain further insight into the world of maritime shipping. Many products we use every day, including the device you're reading these words on and many library books, have journeyed across oceans on cargo ships. Yet, the shipping world is invisible to most of us. Without leaving land you too can journey into this fascinating world by reading the books below.

Algeria is Beautiful Like American

Bad Lands

Travels to Challenging Places

There are places that we are advised or warned not to travel to. There are places that are unstable. There are places that are downright dangerous and that should be avoided at all cost. Syria and Mali come to mind. Our Department of State keeps citizens abreast with its list of “Travel Advisories.” It’s usually a good idea to take a look at this service before embarking upon a trip outside the United States. I’ve selected a few graphic novels and one other book to highlight traveling to countries such as these.

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

Parklands-Turner Teen Readers' Corner - YA Book Club Recommendations

The Hate You Give

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas Teen Book Review by Antionette Robinson   “I can't change where I come from or what I've been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?” - Angie Thomas  

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Parklands-Turner Teen Readers' Corner - YA Book Club Recommendations

Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Teen Book Review by Temitope Adeoye

Travels with Charley

In a Different Place

Travelogues both real and imagined

As the weather finally begins to cool in D.C. and the rhythm of the school year finally settles in, it can be a great time to think back (or forward) about the summer. If I can't be on the road myself, reading books of journeys both real and imagined help me evoke those feelings of adventure once more.

Cover image for What A Time to Be Alone by Eggerue

Going Solo

The Pleasures of Being Single

It’s spring, and love is in the air, or so the poets (and scientists) say. Look around and everyone seems to be holding hands or walking around with dreamy smiles on their faces. Except you.

Signature of All Things

Dream Faraway

Let your imagination have at it conjuring up the images and feelings from these novels. A wide range of emotions as well as personal, social and political experiences are explored giving the reader a window into other cultures and points of view. The signature of all things by Elizabeth Gilbert   

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