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 […]
book lists
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 […]
PPL140: 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; […]
PPL140: 1946-1959
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 […]
Celebrate World Book Day!
April is a very literary month. National Poetry Month is in April and so is National Library Week, and on April 23 it’s National Shakespeare Day, the same day that […]
PPL140: 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 […]
PPL140: 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 […]
PPL140: 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 […]
New Year resolution – read more books!
It’s 2024, a new beginning, and it seems like everyone wants to know what your New Year resolution is. Ah, you almost feel the pressure to come up with something […]
Cozy Content for a Long Winter Night
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 […]