I have the great pleasure of serving on the City of Lawrence leadership team. For the icebreaker at a recent meeting, everyone shared a favorite book or two. It made me so proud as a librarian, resident, and lifelong reader how important reading is to leaders in our city government. The list was wonderfully diverse…
Learning Curve
It has felt like there is so much to learn lately that I have been reading far more non-fiction than I usually do. There are several great new books challenging the stories we tell ourselves about our country and its past. I have been toggling between three excellent histories in the past weeks that I…
They Came From Florida
If you want to feel cooler during a Kansas summer, try reading books set in Florida! That’s what I’ve inadvertently and sporadically done this summer with two books: Lauren Groff’s collection of short stories, Florida; and Kristen Arnett’s debut novel, Mostly Dead Things. My paths to these books were somewhere between accidental and serendipitous. Having…
We Bought Some Eve Babitz Books So You Could Read Them
A buddy visited Lawrence recently. He knows I’m a Joan Didion fan and asked did I know about Eve Babitz. Yeah, sure. Well, maybe? Actually, no, I don't think so. He goes, you know, there’s that famous photo of her playing chess with Marcel Duchamp? Naked. Just her. I’m thinking, I guess I don’t know…
New Year, New You!
It’s January so you knew this was coming. I’ve given up on New Year’s Resolutions because it is an exercise in futility and guilt. That said, the new year is coinciding beautifully with my attempt to develop new or changed habits. I have enlisted the help of two books to take my best stab at…
Washington Black is the New Black
I’ve been really excited to read Esi Edugyan's new novel, Washington Black. It piqued my interest for a few reasons. First and foremost, I’m committed to reading more books written by women of color. Second, the setting and topic appeals to me—a story about the African diasporic experience in the 19th century. Third, it sounded…
Akata Witch isn’t the “Nigerian Harry Potter.” Here’s why.
I am so excited about Nnedi Okorafor's visit to Lawrence this November! I'm a bit behind the times discovering the amazingness that is Ms. Okorafor. To catch up, I'm reading her critically-acclaimed work, beginning with Akata Witch, the first book of her beloved Akata series, which fans often refer to as "The Nigerian Harry Potter" according to a…
They Came from the Director’s Nightstand
My wife and I had a baby this spring, so reading time is precious and generally right before bed these days. Here are a few books I've been drifting off to sleep with in the past few months. Room to Dream I have been reading the new David Lynch biography/memoir on and off for a…
The Lawrence Basement Tapes
When I arrived in Lawrence, humbled and honored to be LPL’s new director, the library was in the midst of a building project. I was so excited be a part of this experience. With a new building, we could completely reimagine what a library could be for Lawrence. In my mind, this was a once…
A Reflection on Zadie Smith, 15 Years in the Making
[Nota Bene: What I have attempted below is most likely better left to academics and others better suited to pontificate upon Zadie Smith and White Teeth, her critically-acclaimed debut novel, but oh well, here goes…] In celebration of Zadie Smith’s visit to Lawrence—thanks to our lovely friends at KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities—I was asked…
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