The Alienist: A Book List
We’re inspired by the series premiere of “The Alienist” on TNT, adapted from Caleb Carr’s novel about grisly serial murder in gritty, corrupt turn-of-the-century Manhattan; and a trio: police reporter, […]
Shauna
Books About Teachers
Pasadena Central Library’s 2018 Educator Night takes place on Thursday, February 1st at 5:00 pm. If you are an educator (ETK-12th grade) who teaches in Pasadena, or who lives […]
Books About Books
Inspired by an old NPR story about the charming and cozy Icelandic custom of jolabokaflod (“Christmas book flood”), and by today’s chilly, wet weather–an atmosphere prime for curling up with a […]
Shooting Stars
Late tonight, after midnight and before dawn, you may have a chance to catch a “shooting star” or twenty; the Geminid meteor showers will be visible all over the country, […]
Kazuo Ishiguro
Many of our deepest motives come, not from an adult logic of how things work in the world, but out of something that is frozen from childhood. This year’s […]
Thanksgiving in Contemporary Fiction
Thanksgiving is this week; we’re grateful for your support. We hope you find yourselves in friendly company, with plenty of your favorite foods, and well-stocked with good books to tide […]
The Great War in Literature
This Saturday, November 11, is the Veterans Day holiday in the U.S. Veterans Day is a day we honor all the men and women who have served in the military. […]
On Edge: The Santa Ana Winds in Literature
It’s that time of year: those infamous Santa Anas are blowing in: hot, dry, contributing to the danger of wildfires. Many of us in SoCal sense a psychological component […]
Consider the Evidence: Crime and Forensics
The titles below, on crime and forensics, are inspired by a story on Atlas Obscura about the detailed “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Deaths” created by Frances Glessner Lee, the […]
EAT!
This week’s post is presented by our guest host, Peg, a reference librarian at Central Library. My book group recently read M.F.K. Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf, a title […]