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Author: Rebecca

--Booklists

“The Friday Afternoon Club” by Griffin Dunne

After spending at least two horror-filled months reading Stephen King’s 1000+ page novel “It”, I desperately needed to read something relatively fast and absorbing. Griffin Dunne’s family memoir, “The Friday Afternoon Club”, totally fit the bill! So many famous names had been dropped by page 28 that I felt like I was reading a (celebrity) […]

--Booklists

September Booklist: Booker Prize Reads for Fall

Start your autumn off right with some great novels nominated for the coveted Booker Prize throughout the years! This is a mix of nominated and winning titles, because plenty of amazing books don’t win! Featured books: Top row: The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton; If I Survive You, Jonathan Escoffery. Middle row: The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma; A […]

--Staff Picks

“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 […]

General

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 […]

--Staff Picks

“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 […]

General

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 […]