I read a really great book recently. Like really, really, really great. It gave me the type of reading experience I didn’t even know I was craving. It was dark, and lush, and brooding, full of magical mayhem set against the oppressive, slate colored backdrop of the sea and its hidden horrors. Marketed as gothic…
Don’t Be a Selfish Reader
We read for so many different reasons. To learn. To laugh. To be scared. To escape. To name a few. Recently, I have begun to examine the reasons I read by looking at the books I read, why I liked them, and what that means. Most of the time, I read to learn something new…
Pick Your Poison
Every now and then I notice totally accidental trends in my reading. Not too long ago it was portal fantasy, repeated traipses through magical doorways leading to other worlds. Those adventures filled me with whimsy and also a dash of pre-pandemic wanderlust. Now I find myself on a darker path. One with a lot less…
If the Lies Don’t Kill You
There seem to be two kinds of speculative fiction readers these days. (And by these days I mean the ones rife with political unrest the likes of which my generation has never witnessed and oh, also the raging pandemic.) Ones who are still hankering to be transported to a post apocalyptic future and ones who…
LPL Best of 2020: Books
In a year when we needed the distraction more than ever, books were there for us. Here are the library staff's top reads of 2020. Brad, Director Begin Again The Broken Heart of America The Cold Millions Memorial Sarah, Accounts The best fiction book I read that was published in 2020 was Hamnet by Maggie…
Little Libraries of Lawrence: Part Deux
Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote my first ever LPL Blog about a selection of the Little Free Libraries in Lawrence and the impassioned bibliophiles behind them. The response was overwhelming and two things became abundantly clear: 1. This town is absolutely bonkers for cute little homes for books to share, and 2. Because of…
Early Bird Fantasy
There are few pleasures in my life like a fully immersive fantasy read. Followed by at least two more books that will give me something familiar and beloved, but also something new. I spend a good chunk of my browsing time in New Fantasy, skimming down the spines, looking out for that big, bold number…
Long Live the Bees
The factors that give a book that coveted position on our “favorites of all time” list are as varied as we are. Me, I have categories. A spectrum, ratings. They’re all cataloged very carefully in my mind, ready to spring to my lips when speaking with patrons or fellow bibliophiles when their subject or appeal…
What Do Birds and the Coronavirus Have in Common?
I'm not claiming powers of prescience or anything, but the weird thing is my last blog, written in early January, was about viruses wreaking havoc all around the globe. Computer viruses, but still... Now it's mid-April, which usually means it's time to celebrate warmer days, the return of migrating birds, and the new crop of…
Solace on the Shelves
I ducked into the library on March 18th and immediately felt my spirits drop even further. I've been in the library after hours before, of course, experienced..
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