August Booklist: Sci-Funnies
This month’s booklist features absurd science fiction and fantasy to make you laugh!
Resources // Blog
Author: Rebecca
“Jane Austen’s Bookshelf” by Rebecca Romney
Rare book dealer Rebecca Romney loves Jane Austen, and books in general. After purchasing the 18th century novel “Evelina” by Frances Burney as part of a lot of old books, Romney starts to realize that many of the female authors and works explicitly referenced in the novels and letters of Jane Austen are unknown, or […]
July Booklist: National Parks & Recreation Month
July is National Parks & Recreation Month! Time to celebrate parks, the great outdoors, and Leslie Knope.
June Booklist: National Caribbean American Heritage Month 2025
June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month! Celebrate Caribbean contributions to American history, life, and culture. You can explore this and other booklists on our Booklists page!
Changes Coming to HPL Databases July 1st
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries. The IMLS has been completely defunded in Fiscal Year 2026 (starting July 1st). Because of these […]
“Smoke and Ashes” by Amitav Ghosh
Are you mad right now? Want to feel more mad? Good! Step right up. Amitav Ghosh’s nonfiction book about the opium trade, which he researched while writing his historic fiction Ibis trilogy, is a doozy. The Portuguese Catherine of Braganza married Charles II and became the queen of England in the late 1600s. She is […]
May Booklist: Mental Health Awareness Month 2025
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Mental health affects us all– learn more at the National Alliance on Mental Health’s website (NAMI). You can explore this and other booklists on our Booklists page!
April Booklist: Jazz Appreciation Month 2025
April is Jazz Appreciation Month! We’ve curated a list of classic jazz albums to begin listening to, or to revisit. You can explore this and other booklists on our Booklists page! Albums shown: Somethin’ Else, Cannonball Adderley Chet Baker Sings, Chet Baker Journey in Satchidananda, Alice Coltrane Yardbird Suite, Charlie Parker Ella: The Lost Berlin […]
“Kneecap” by Rich Peppiatt
“Kneecap” is a new film about the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap, from Belfast. I had never heard of the group prior to watching this movie. Actually, I had no idea what the film was about–I had just heard it was good. “Kneecap” stars the three actual members of the group Kneecap, and tells the story […]
March Booklist: Los Angeles
Los Angeles has always captured our imagination and provides the inspiration for so many books, movies, albums, etc.. It’s a real city with real people, but it’s also a place woven into the fabric of our national mythology. Love it or hate it, you can’t escape it (unless you’re Kurt Russell). You can explore this […]