Posts by Alix G. (59)
Blog Articles
In mid-December, the Free Library welcomed Dr. Guy Sims as the institution’s first full-time Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer . Prior to this appointment, Guy was the Assistant to the… continue reading Meet Your Library Staff: Guy Sims, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
By written by Alix G. February 12, 2021 9
In early September, the Board of Trustees appointed Leslie M. Walker as the Interim Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Prior to this appointment, Leslie served as the Chief of Staff for… continue reading Meet Your Library Staff: Leslie M. Walker, Interim Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia
By written by Alix G. November 30, 2020 3
An exciting art installation is underway at Parkway Central Library ! Two soaring, colorful banners, created by celebrated American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976), are now on display in the… continue reading Free Library Installs Colorful Abstract Banners Designed by Alexander Calder
By written by Alix G. March 12, 2020
With the shortest month of the year upon us, how about a book list full of short yet spectacular fiction reads to match? You’ll be sure to whiz through these stories in no time, and the… continue reading Short Books for the Shortest Month!
By written by Alix G. January 31, 2020 1
In the course of a casual conversation with a new acquaintance this summer, chatter turned—as it inevitably does, when one of you works in a library—first to books, then to mystery… continue reading Happy Birthday, Agatha Christie!
By written by Alix G. September 13, 2019
It’s safe to say that Parkway Central Library is not your grandmother’s library. It’s equally safe to say that some special new books gracing the shelves of The Heim Center and… continue reading 21st Century Books for a 21st Century Library
By written by Alix G. April 5, 2019 2
Like lots of ‘80s kids, I grew up with repeats of The Monkees on television and couldn’t wait for my weekly Saturday morning dose of their hijinks and bubble gum pop. Unlike lots of… continue reading A Daydream Believer’s Tribute to Peter Tork
By written by Alix G. February 25, 2019 4
I’m staring with dread at the slog of ever-colder, ever-shorter days upon us. I do not "just love sweater weather." I "just love" some palm trees and ocean breezes. Alas.… continue reading Beat the Winter Blues with the Free Library (and some Nordic Spirit!)
By written by Alix G. December 21, 2018
December is Read a New Book Month , and we at the Free Library are all about reading new books (and old books, and re-reading new and old books, and listening to books, and talking about books… continue reading Read a New Book Month, Free Library Style!
By written by Alix G. December 12, 2018
***Event Information Update | October 9, 2018*** Book sales will begin at 4:00 p.m. Books purchased will include a signed bookplate. The event has been moved from the Montgomery Auditorium… continue reading How John Cena and the Free Library Inspired My Love of Professional Wrestling
By written by Alix G. October 5, 2018 9
Let’s set the stage: It’s the mid-1920s. Paris, maybe. There’s some highbrow literary chit chat, a bit of the usual expat gossip, and plenty (and I mean plenty) of champagne. And… continue reading The Literary Birthday Party That Wasn’t
By written by Alix G. July 20, 2018 1
Every Saturday morning, as the New York Times lands with a thwack on my porch, I race toward the front door in such a hurry you’d think the neighborhood squirrels were notorious for filching… continue reading The Type of Reader I Wish I Was...
By written by Alix G. July 2, 2018
Jane Eyre was my first favorite book. And that makes Charlotte Brontë —whose 202nd birthday we celebrate tomorrow—my first favorite author. I met Charlotte and Jane when I was in… continue reading The Fiery and Dramatic Heart of Charlotte Brontë
By written by Alix G. April 20, 2018
Nearly 100 years ago today, on February 2, 1922, bookstore-maven-cum-publisher Sylvia Beach stood anxiously waiting on the platform at the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris for the arrival of… continue reading Happy Birthday, James Joyce … and Ulysses!
By written by Alix G. February 2, 2018 2
You all know me well enough to understand that my love of mysteries runs deep . Real deep. And so, this Throwback Thursday I’m going back to where it all began—River Heights, a town in… continue reading #ThrowbackThursday: Nancy Drew
By written by Alix G. August 3, 2017 1
My mom always says she knew she had trouble on her hands when, at the age of about six, I requested a Time Life series of hard-backed books about real-life murderers that I’d seen advertised… continue reading #MysteryMonday: Confessions of a Mystery Addict
By written by Alix G. June 12, 2017
Move over, London! England’s capital city may count Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot among its resident gumshoes, but only Philadelphia can be called the true birthplace of the modern… continue reading #MysteryMonday: Get Clued in to Edgar Allan Poe and More
By written by Alix G. April 10, 2017 2
At the Free Library, we recognize that people come to literacy—and literature—in many different ways. In our Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative , art, music, and other unique tools… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: The Many Roads to the Free Library
By written by Alix G. March 8, 2017
I met Mary Tyler Moore on the TV in my family’s basement somewhere in the late 1980s or early ‘90s, as I poured through repeats of her eponymous sitcom just as fast as Nick at Nite… continue reading Remembering Mary
By written by Alix G. January 26, 2017
In which I become obsessed with physics… Despite having a super non-scientific brain, I really related to Christopher’s love of math, physics, and astronomy in The Curious Incident of… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Obsessed with Physics
By written by Alix G. December 21, 2016