Shauna

Image of two older people reading books on a park bench (image source: "Reading" by Zorilla, 2015, used courtesy of CC by 2.0 License) with text: "1990-2000"

  The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow, 1990 The unexpected suicide of his wife of 31 years impels Alejandro Stern, the accomplished, self-contained criminal defense lawyer who defended Rusty […]

PPL140: 1975-1989

  Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, 1975 Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Ragtime focuses on a representative cross-section of America in the era prior […]

Listen Up! Audiobooks

  Some narrators do such a great job that they really enhance the “reading” experience. If you listen to a lot of audiobooks and have favorite narrators, you can search […]

Photo of boy and staff reading books (Allendale Branch Library: Image Source: Pasadena Digital History--Pasadena Public Library collection) with text: "1960-1974"

The years from 1960-1974 were (famously) an era of social change, political turmoil, and generational conflict. Works published during these years addressed themes including race and racism; mental health institutionalization; […]

Image of painting "Compartment C Car" (1938) by Edward Hopper with text: "1940-1959"

  The Iceman Cometh [play] by Eugene O’Neill, 1946 The play is set in New York City in 1912 and chronicles the lives of a group of lonely denizens who […]

Image of Painting: "Quentin Bell, Reading" by vanessa Bell, with text: "1930-1945"

From 1930-1945, the world saw a great deal of suffering and conflict. The Great Depression, which began with the Wall Street crash in October 1929, and the Dust Bowl, only […]

Portrait of Pierre Olin Reading, 1887 - Theo van Rysselberghe (painting of young man holding reading a book wearing a monocle) and art deco style graphics around text: "1915-1929"

Many big changes came along in the next 15 years in the US, and the world. The Great War, to be redubbed World War I after we survived a second […]

Image of painting "The Reader" (1910) by Harold Knight, and text: "1900-1914"

The following books were published between the dawn of the new century –the Progressive Era–and the outbreak of World War I. The list of bestsellers for each year comes from […]

Blog Graphic: Painting of Woman Reading ("A Study for Paradise Lost" by Mihaly Munkacsy, 1899, public domain) with Art Nouveau-style scrolls and text: "1884-1899"

We thought we’d kick off our Pasadena Public Library 140th Anniversary celebration with titles published during the Library’s first decade and a half. The classic titles below are all still […]

image of woman's hand holding a filled mug, with book open on blanket covered lap

In Iceland, the tradition of Jólabókaflóðið/jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood,” is a wonderful ritual of cuddling up to read books gifted to one another on Christmas Eve. It is prominent […]