I’ve been called a walking disaster many times, and frankly, there's a lot of truth to it. I spill things, drop things, say things, and eat things I shouldn’t. But I’m nothing compared to a misadventure on the open ocean. I know all about how much havoc those sea disasters wreak, because as someone who reads… continue reading Maritime Disasters: Commercial Ships, Catastrophic Sinkings

By written by Kalela W.    November 21, 2019    1  

• Exhibitions
• Recommendations
• No Shame November
• Nonfiction

So you just finished a book. It was great! Now you want to read the author’s other work. Add those to the list. Next, you listen to a podcast or read an interview with the author, and you discover who her favorite writers are. Add those to the list. And then you read a piece of criticism about the book, from which you learn what other… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: No Shame In Book Debt

By written by Samantha M.    November 30, 2016   

• No Shame November

I’ve been a vampire fiction enthusiast since the moment I picked up Bram Stoker’s Dracula when I was 12 years old. With diary entries, letters, and creepily intricate details of events and creatures I’d previously thought to be make-believe, the book seemed so real; it made me feel like I’d stumbled upon a true story… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Vampires foreVer

By written by Becky F.    November 29, 2016   

• No Shame November

I have a soft spot in my heart for young adult fiction, particularly dystopian future stories. In my opinion, the longer a YA series, the better. Lately, I’ve been incredibly drawn to two series in particular – The Lunar Chronicles ( Cinder , Scarlet , Cress , and Winter ) by Marissa Meyer , and The Selection Series by Keira Cass .… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Dystopian Future Stories

By written by Rebecca A.    November 28, 2016   

• No Shame November

What is a dystology? It's a made-up word (made up by author Neal Shusterman , of course); a portmanteau of dystopian and ______-logy, as in a series of books. Is that cheesy? Maybe, but the books are so good! Part of my job title is Teen Librarian. This does not mean that I'm a teenager who is a librarian, but rather a librarian who… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: The Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman

By written by Becky S.    November 22, 2016   

• No Shame November

You know that pile of books on your nightstand—the ones you keep meaning to start but just haven’t gotten around to yet? Or the book that everyone was talking about last year but when you went to check it out, there was a long waitlist? Or perhaps there is a classic novel you were supposed to read in school but didn't, which now… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: The Books I Haven’t Read

By written by Sara D.    November 21, 2016    1  

• No Shame November

Reading self-help books usually throws me into a pit of despair where I refuse to follow any advice, feel deeply inadequate and then ashamed for even reading the book to begin with. (Examples one , two , three , four ... ). It’s not only the shame of not being the person the self-help book wants me to be, but, further, the shame of even… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Self-Help and Shonda Rhimes

By written by Link R.    November 18, 2016   

• No Shame November

"I don’t read books written for readers above fourteen," is a constant phrase I use in conversations when discussing books. It’s a truthful statement; as the curator for the Children’s Literature Research Collection , I have to keep abreast of the latest publications for readers between the ages of zero and fourteen.… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: A Tale of Children's Books and Drag Queens.

By written by Chris B.    November 17, 2016    2  

• No Shame November

Historical nonfiction is all the rage. Erik Larson seems to have a spot reserved for him on the New York Times bestseller list; David McCullough is so much a household name, he’s verging on pop culture status; and everyone and his mother’s book club raved about Daniel James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat . It’s almost… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Historical Nonfiction – The Nerdy Kind

By written by Kalela W.    November 16, 2016    1  

• No Shame November

One of my primary designations as a person is "reader." Fiction, nonfiction, high literary, lady comics—my personal library is broad. And nerdy—as a former English teacher, I have a deep love for Shakespeare, pride myself on having read and continuing to seek out "the classics," and compete with myself every year… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Oh, Baby—BUMPing My Usual Reading List

By written by Julie B.    November 14, 2016   

• No Shame November

Some days are just "one of those days", am I right? I feel like this fall has been full of "those days", so instead of hurling myself off the nearest building, I like to indulge in one of my guilty pleasures—pastoral period dramas with a strong female lead. What would fall in to that category, you ask? I’d be… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: When I’m Feeling Blue

By written by Rachel F.    November 10, 2016    2  

• No Shame November

I was about 12 years old when the original groundbreaking PBS 13-part documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Journey debuted. My next older brother was deep into comic books, sci-fi, Star Wars , and Parliament Funkadelic . We only had two televisions in our five-bedroom house. One Sunday evening, my brother dominated the television as usual… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Falling Asleep to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos

By written by Ken M.    November 9, 2016    6  

• No Shame November

I play video games. I’m not talking about casual games you download on your phone—not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, the increasing visibility of casual gaming is a part of why I finally felt comfortable telling people that I own a gaming console. I favor games with sweeping narratives, lots of little side… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Confessions of a Girl Gamer

By written by Sara D.    November 7, 2016   

• No Shame November

It started, as most things do, with a baby. My daughter was born in March 2013 and much of my time was spent keeping my new charge alive and channel surfing, often simultaneously. But there are only so many episodes of America’s Next Top Model that one can watch before one can no longer smize . I needed a counterbalance. Then a friend… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Zombies!

By written by Liz A.    November 4, 2016   

• No Shame November

Now that our second year of #FLPNoShameNovember has begun, I racked my brain to decide what to write about. Last year, I confessed my love of tabloid magazines , specifically People . This year, I decided to go a slightly different direction, albeit still rooted in my general love for all things celebrity. So, today, I hereby declare… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Will You Accept This Rose?

By written by Kate C.    November 3, 2016   

• No Shame November

I’m the children’s librarian who hosts weekly Storytime for babies. The librarian who voraciously reads early chapter books about aliens and graphic novels about unicorns and their humans. But I also devour romance novels, bodice rippers, and smut books by the page. I blame library school for this obsession. For years, all I read… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Confessions Of A Children’s Librarian

By written by Mary W.    November 1, 2016    1  

• Reading
• Romance
• No Shame November

Last year, the Free Library introduced an interactive social media and digital campaign during the month of November in which we encouraged one another to stop hiding the covers of our books and hunching over our Kindles because of presumed embarassment about what we're reading, watching, or listening to. To shed the… continue reading Join the Free Library for #FLPNoShameNovember!

By written by Kate C.    October 31, 2016    2  

• No Shame November

I will admit when I'm asked what I enjoy reading, my typical response is “science-fiction, fantasy, regency romance, street-lit, and quirky fiction novels.” I rarely mention the topic I'm about to discuss because it usually requires an explanation, which is subsequently followed by snickers—but since it's… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Fan Fiction, Where Fans Rule

By written by Camille T.    November 30, 2015   

• No Shame November

My name is Peter and I LOVE bad movies. I say—the worse, the better! Schlocky scripts, rubber monsters, awful acting, melodramatic bio pics, big budget special fx-laden flops—I'll gladly (attempt to) watch 'em all. While others may get excited about the Oscar race towards the end of each year, I'm anxiously awaiting the… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Nothing Better Than A Bad Movie

By written by Peter SM    November 27, 2015    2  

• Film
• Digital Media
• No Shame November

I don’t usually read children’s stories about ponies. Or Christian-themed mysteries. Or romance novels set during World War I. There’s nothing wrong with these types of books, but due probably to a combination of personal preference and subconscious snobbery, they never crossed my path. But, recently, shamelessly, that… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Mysteries, Romances, and Ponies

By written by Peter L.    November 24, 2015   

• No Shame November