Rainy days are a common thing in the springtime. So common as to become monotonous. Why not spice up your rainy days with some great books? Maybe a classic you've always been meaning to read but never have? Or a mystery? Or a horror? The options are endless. P.S. this list works for days off too. These books do not require precipitation to be amazing. 

1. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Anne of Green Gables series has been my rainy day go-to read since well…forever. Anne Shirley is a special character for me. She became almost a friend to me. I could hear her rambles in my mind long after I finished reading the series. I am going to be completely honest with you, she’s a character you have to grow to love. Her rambling speeches can drive you a bit crazy, but the longer you spend with her the more you love her, her friends, family, and Avonlea. When you finish Anne of Green Gables, continue on with Anne of Avonlea. It get better as it goes. After you finish the series, check out the classic Canadian TV mini-series based on the series.

2. The Shining by Stephen King

Horror novels were made for rainy days. Perhaps none as much as The Shining. The story of Jack Torrance and the Overlook Hotel just screams to be read on a rainy day, under the blankets with a cup of tea and a flashlight. Don’t forget the flashlight: It’s a necessity when reading The Shining.

3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

A good novel if you’re in the mood for a good bit romance with a bit of time travel. The TV show makes for a good rainy day watch, but the books are better. The soundtrack to the TV show is the best accompaniment to a rainy day read of this series.

4. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

A juicy non-fiction is always a good recipe for a rainy day. The Devil in the White City is full of murder, intrigue, and serial killers—just the book you want to read on a dreary day. It tells the story of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the very real serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims. I read this one on a very rainy day and, let me tell you, I had to read my next suggestion to calm my nerves. I also recommend any of Erik Larson’s books if you are a fan of nonfiction with engaging prose and meticulous research.

5. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Whenever a patron requests a Harry Potter read alike, this is one of my first suggestions. It has the same amazing world-building that made the Harry Potter books—for a lack of a better word—magical. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell tells the story of two men who bring magic back to England during the Napoleonic Wars. Clarke’s almost gothic way of storytelling make it the perfect book to dive into on a rainy day.

6. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Gone With the Wind is one of my favorite books to read on a rainy day, simply because it is just so vibrant and colorful. The subject matter, Civil War Atlanta, is not that cheerful, but the heroine is. Scarlett O’ Hara is one of the most lively heroines; she just jumps off the page and will liven up your afternoon in a way that very few characters can. I have passed many a rainy day with Scarlett O’Hara by my side, and I have never considered it a lost day.

7. The Novels of Jane Austen

Singling out a Jane Austen book is nearly impossible. It’s like picking out the most adorable puppy out of a group of adorable puppies. Emma is good in a spunky, gets herself in trouble kind of way. Northanger Abbey is gothic and mysterious. Mansfield Park is admittedly not my favorite but many appreciate Fanny Price’s simplistic style of character. Sense and Sensibility gives you two romances for the price of one. Persuasion is a heartbreaking and realistic portrait of lost love found again. And Pride and Prejudice will make you both cringe and rejoice as Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love amidst their flaws and foibles.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is the original rainy day read. It’s gothic, horror, a bit grotesque, and it’s a rainy day's best friend. Doctor Frankenstein and his creation will be the best (or worst depending on your point of view) accompaniment  during your dreary day’s read. Reading Frankenstein during a rainstorm is also one of the best examples of pathetic fallacy I can think of. This book just calls for rain pitter-pattering against windows and thunder in the distance.

9. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

There is not a more scandalous story than the story of Henry VIII and his many wives. Henry VIII is an interesting character in and of himself but his wives also were engaging and intriguing characters. These are characters who would easily fit in on any show about “real housewives”. There is not a better way to spend an otherwise empty afternoon than become embroiled in historical drama and intrigue.

10. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Alexander Hamilton is one of the great historical loves of my life. I’ve loved him since before the musical (even though I have tickets). This is the best biography of him: Chernow manages to be detailed while also being very readable. He will make you fall in love with Hamilton—or at least appreciate what a great man he was. Is there a better way to spend a rainy day than getting to know a historical figure that you know of but don’t know much about? You’ll love him, I promise. Read this biography while listening to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s brilliant Broadway soundtrack.

11. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca is probably my ultimate rainy day read because it combines a romance with a gothic dreariness that just fits. Rebecca tells the story of an unnamed narrator who meets Maximilian de Winter, the master of Manderley, while working as a companion in Monte Carlo and marries him after a few weeks. Seems simple enough, right? Not when you factor in a dead wife, a not-so-sane housekeeper and a mysterious death. This is one of those books where I find something new every time I read it.

12. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I am a Young Adult Librarian, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't recommend some of my favorite YA series. The Hunger Games series was built for a rainy afternoon: it features complex world building, engaging characters, and a game of survival. Katniss Everdeen is one of the strongest and most well-developed characters you will ever meet in young adult literature. Once you’re done with the first book, move on to Catching Fire or maybe even delve into the film series.

13. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

This is one of those books that I recommend to everyone looking for a Jane Austen readalike. Wives and Daughters has the same charm and romance, but it's a little bit more gritty and realistic. It has less pomp and circumstance than Pride and Prejudice but just as much charm. Molly Gibson is one of the most engaging heroines I have ever read, and it is so easy to fall in love with her as you read. Wives and Daughters was also made into an amazing tv mini-series that would be another great way to spend a rainy day.

William Finnegan comes to Books at Noon this week to discuss discuss his latest work, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life. 

Join him on Wednesday, June 1 at 12 PM!

When and where do you like to read?

On trains, planes, and boats. In bed, on a couch, in a chair by the window. In bars and cafes and airports. Not on a beach, if I can help it, and not first thing in the morning, except the newspaper. In the reclining chair in my daughter’s room. In a tent while camping. In the subway.
 
What were your favorite books as a child?

Sports books, both fictional and non. Late Victorian novels for girls— Heidi, Pollyanna. Dr. Seuss. Tom Sawyer. The Hardy Boys. Walter Farley. 
 
Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?

I pretend to be writing while surfing. Meaning: I tell editors that I’m more productive if I take breaks to surf when the waves are good, and that I will return to my desk with writing problems solved. It rarely proves true, but I keep saying it.
 
What are five words that describe your writing process?

Obsessive, inefficient, sleep-deprived, bourbon.
 
How have libraries impacted your life?

My mother took us to our local public library in California every 2 weeks when we were kids. We were allowed to check out 10 books. That felt like wanton luxury. I later wrote a great deal in libraries, including a college library in Denpasar, Indonesia, and a beautiful old public library on the waterfront in Suva, Fiji. 

U.S. Census Bureau - Ongoing Recruitment on Monday 30, 2016, 8 am - 5 pm for Field Representative (100 P/T Temp openings).  Please contact the Recruitment Department  of the U.S. Census Bureau (212) 584-3495 or E-mail: new.york.recruit@census.gov regarding testing for position.  Location, dates, and times will be given upon applying.

Basic Resume Writing  workshop on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 1:30 -3 pm, at  Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn, Brooklyn, NY 11201.  Participants will learn resume writing skills that include preparing chronological and combination resumes, identifying their strengths, skills and accomplishments.

Spanish Speaking Resume Writing workshop on Thursday, June 2, 2016, 12:30 - 2:30 pm at Flushing Wrokforce 1 Career center, 13860 Barclay ave. 2nd Floor, flushing, NY 11355.  All interested job seekers willlearn to organize, revise and update resumes. 

Job Postings at New York City Workforce 1.  

Apprenticeship Opportunities in New York City.

When you have serious story-time nostalgia, sometimes the best bet to satisfy that craving is an audiobook. They're our ideal way to pass a long weekend car trip, a subway commute, or just a walk in the sunshine. Buckle up, and enjoy the ride with a few of our favorite audiobooks. Then tell us your favorite audiobooks in the comment section below.

Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Read by Nicolas Coster

When you prefer a little irony with their British aristocracy

The Fisherman by Chigozie Obioma
Read by Chukwudi Iwuji

When you want to want to move beyond Greek tragedy, but still want some mythos

Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
Read by Jim Dale, Janis Ian, Alfred Molina, and Katherine Kellgren

When the drive is long and the kids must be quieted

The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Read by Janet Song and Stephen Park

When it's time to get caught up with the season's buzzy prize-winners

The Poetry of John Donne by John Donne
Read by Richard Burton

When you want to sing, "Let's get metaphysical!"

NW by Zadie Smith
Read by Karen Bryson and Don Gilet

When London's calling

Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
Read by Myra Lucretia Taylor

When you can't get to the Gulf Coast fast enough

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee
by B.D. Wong

When you want your dystopia to show some heart

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Read by John Lee

When you want to behold the lay of the land like an explorer

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God & Other Stories by Etgar Keret
Read by Kirby Heyborne

When you need some magic with your reality

The Hand that Feeds You by A.J. Rich
Read by Ann Marie Lee

When you won't settle for anything less than brilliant sentences in your thriller

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Read by Jonathan Davis

When your ideal trip of the imagination is from Santo Domingo to Washington Heights 

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora. Each episode highlights a letter from popular collections housed in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Today’s episode features a letter from pianist, composer, and journalist Philippa Duke Schuyler to her mother, Josephine Schuyler.

Today’s correspondence is recited by Miranda Mims, an Archivist in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

*Special Note: All text is represented as originally written by the correspondent.  

Close quarters, no parental supervision, lots of teens, too-strict rules or no rules at all…no doubt, boarding schools are fertile ground for stories about burgeoning relationships and finding identity.

So, check out these YA books about teens' homes away from home—some romantic (with a heavy dose of LGBTQ romance), some fanciful, some serious, some sweet.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Baz and Simon are roommates—which would be just fine, if Baz could keep his feelings from Simon forever. But he’s a vampire, and Simon might be the most powerful mage who ever lived, and the world is maybe falling apart… so, it’s complicated.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Cameron is hauled off to God's Promise, a “conversion therapy school” that promises to cure her attraction to girls. (Spoiler alert: The exact opposite happens, and Cameron finds likeminded friends and her place in the world.)

Lucky Fools by Coert Voorhees
Red-striped tie on the cover? Pretty good bet it’s a boarding-school book. This one tells the story of David Ellison, who’s trying to figure out how to follow his Julliard dreams and live up to his Ivy League expectations at the same time.

What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn
Creative historical fiction with that uses letters, screenplays, and multiple perspectives to reveal the secrets of the students at a British boarding school in the turbulent Vietnam era.

Skip Macalester by J.E. Robinson
The coming-of-age story of a precocious African-American teen at a prestigious prep school, trying to navigate relationships with his peers and his parents.

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg
Rafe Goldberg, who was always known as “the gay kid” in his high school back home, decides to reinvent himself when he enters a fancy New England prep school.

Looking for Alaska by John Green
The first published novel by one of YA’s superheroes, Looking for Alaska takes readers on a literal and figurative journey to and from an Alabama boarding school.

The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
Two great settings—a boarding school in Victorian England and a magical world called the Realms—provide the backdrop for this fun and steamy series.

Simon Says by Elaine Marie Alphin
Charles is determined to get close to Graeme, another student at his boarding school for the arts whose YA novel inspired him to opt out of the “Simon Says” game of adolescence.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Nothing is spelled out in this 1974 classic about the violent bullying at Jerry’s all-boys’ prep school, but a vicious gang targets any kid who dares to refuse their directives or fit into their mold—including Jerry.

Winger by Andrew Smith
Red-striped tie alert! Bullying and peer pressure take center stage as a 14-year-old newbie tries to navigate his aggressive rugby teammates.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Another classic. This slender novel about two boys at a prep school during World War II is a tragic coming-of-age tale with a major tearjerker of an ending.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

A satirical Swedish novel, a favorite Sicilian detective, and teen dystopian romance top the bestseller lists in Germany, Italy, and Brazil. Novels by native authors are popular in Argentina and Russia, and everyone loves Jojo Moyes!

Have you ever wondered what books are popular with readers in other countries? We thought it would be fun to take a look at a few bestseller lists from around the world to see what people are reading. We’ve started with current bestsellers from five countries, and we’ll take a look at bestseller lists from other countries in future posts. Wherever possible, links to find the titles in different languages in the library catalog are included.

If you’re interested in bestsellers in the U.S., the NYPL Recommends team suggests readalikes for the top New York Times fiction bestsellers each week. (Jojo Moyes tops that list this week, too.)

Germany

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Swedish author Jonas Jonasson is at the top of Der Spiegel’s hardcover fiction list this week (Mörder Anders und seine Freunde nebst dem einen oder anderen Feind.)  Some of Jonsson’s previous novels are currently available to borrow in English, Spanish, Korean, and Italian.

Jojo Moyes’s 2005 novel The Ship of Brides (Über uns der Himmel, unter uns das Meer) is at the top of the German paperback bestseller list and available in the original English at NYPL. Translations of other novels by Jojo Moyes are currently available to borrow in Russian, Spanish, Korean, Polish, and Italian.

Italy

The latest Commissario Montalbano novel by Andrea Camilleri, L’altro capo del filo (The Other End of the Line)  tops the IBS.it bestseller list this week. This novel has not been translated into English yet, but you can borrow many other novels by  Camilleri in the original Italian or translations in English or Spanish from NYPL. The first novel in the Montalbano series is La forma dell’acqua / The Shape of Water / La forma del agua.

Some other fiction titles in Italy’s top ten this week are After You by Jojo Moyes (Dopo di te), Maestra by Lisa Hilton, and Caffè Amaro (Bitter Coffee) by Italian author Simonetta Agnello Hornby. This novel has not been translated into English yet, but some of the author’s earlier historical novels are currently available at NYPL in Italian, English, and Spanish.

Brazil

Jojo Moyes also has a strong presence on Brazil’s May bestseller list. Me Before You (Como eu era antes de você) is number two and After You (Depois de você) is number seven. The Crown (A coroa), the final installment in Kiera Cass's popular YA series, is in the number one spot. NYPL has novels in Kiera Cass’s Selection series to borrow in Spanish, Polish, and Russian, as well as in English.

Argentina

La salvaje de Boston by Gloria V. Casañas and La novela de mi vida by Marcos Aguinis, appear in the top five of Argentina’s Revista Ñ* fiction bestseller list this week. NYPL does not have these 2016 titles yet, but other books by these authors are available to borrow in Spanish. And international favorite Me Before You / Yo antes de ti by Jojo Moyes is number four on this week’s list. [*You can access Revista Ñ through the PressReader database, which includes current newspapers and magazines from more than 100 countries.]

Russia

Me Before You /До встречи с тобой is also a bestseller at Russia’s largest online bookstore, Ozon. Some other bestselling titles currently on Ozon includeZuliekha Opens Her Eyes /Зулейха открывает глаза, the debut novel by Guzel Yakhina, winner of Russia’s Big Book prize in 2015. This novel has not been translated into English yet. The suspense epic Shantaram /Шантарам  by Australian author Gregory David Roberts, and Ayn Rand's positivist classic Atlas Shrugged /Атлант расправил плечи  are also popular.

Do you check the bestseller list from any other countries? Let us know in the comments.

​Many thanks to Marianna Vertsman for help with the Russian bestsellers! Leslie Bernstein and Adriana Blancarte-Hayward also contributed to this post.

“A very fine day- the highest prize in the state road lottery came out - the number of the ticket was 11,374 - the prize 10,000 Dolls…” Elizabeth De Hart Bleecker, May 27, 1799.

What immediately jumps out in this entry of Elizabeth Bleecker’s diary is the massive—for its time—prize. It must be why Bleecker took note. That evening, newspapers reported that “the fortunate possessors” of the $10,000 ticket “are a company of five gentlemen.” More generally, we know that New Yorkers were keenly interested in lottery drawings, which tended to stretch over a number of days, even weeks. The drawing for this 1799 lottery took place in Federal Hall (then City Hall), with the permission of the New York Common Council.    What can get lost in the excitement of drawings and prizes is how lotteries served important public goals. As Bleecker noted, this was specifically a “road lottery,” a complex production that raised funds for a series of major public works projects in upstate and western New York.

The State Road Lottery

What Bleecker and most of her contemporaries called the “state road lottery” was a series of three lotteries, all authorized by a single law in 1797. The New York State Legislature passed “An Act for Opening and Improving certain Great Roads within this State” because they sensed that “it is highly necessary that direct communications be opened between the western, northern and southern parts of this state.” Over the next four years, lottery managers in Manhattan and Albany coordinated the sale of some 75,000 tickets at $5 apiece ($375,000 in total), in order to raise $45,000 for a series of infrastructure projects that would foster communication and exchange across the state.

Nearly half of the lottery proceeds funded two projects. Over $11,000 went to improve the Great Genesee Road—which ran from the Mohawk River in Herkimer County, to the Genesee River at Geneva, in Ontario County, then the westernmost county in the state.  Another $11,000-plus was earmarked to service a road that stretched northward from Albany to Lake Champlain.  

The New York State Comptroller—an office created in 1797, the very same year that the legislature approved the road lottery—oversaw the use of the funds.  A “memorandum book” kept by various comptrollers between 1799 and 1826, which details transactions and contains reports related to many state projects, including those funded by the road lottery, was also recently digitized. 

Early American Lotteries

Lotteries were already a major part of early American life by the time New York authorized its state road lotteries.  During the colonial period, many churches and schools used lotteries to raise necessary funds. Communities found them useful for maintaining roads, piers, and other communal infrastructure. Shortly after the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, in November of 1776, the Continental Congress authorized a lottery to raise money for the war effort.  With cash in short supply, and the majority of tax dollars going to pay off the war debt, lotteries  grew more popular  after the American Revolution.

At the same time, lotteries made Americans anxious.  In 1783, New York banned “private lotteries”--lotteries run without the state’s permission, sometimes as a business venture—because they were a “public nuisance” that “occasion idleness and dissipation, and have been productive of frauds.”  Without supporting some public purpose, a lottery was simply another a form of gambling. And of course, the state had an interest in maintaining a monopoly on lotteries. Yet Americans had to grapple with the possibility that even the most publicly beneficial lotteries still had the same ill effects as any other form of gambling.

The problems were also civic. Lotteries may have benefitted projects that served the public good. Using them to fund public projects, though, absolved individuals of having to act in the interest of the common good. Remember, New Yorkers spent $375,000 on lottery tickets between 1797 and 1801, to raise just $45,000 to build roads that would surely benefit the state.  We have to assume the legislature went through this cumbersome process instead of levying a tax because they figured the self-interested pursuit of easy riches was a more effective motivator than public spirit. 

By the antebellum period, anxieties about lotteries boiled over. In 1821, New York adopted a new constitution, which banned lotteries. Most states either banned lotteries or stopped authorizing them around this time. By the Civil War, government-sanctioned lotteries had disappeared from nearly every state in the union. They only made a comeback a century later, though their rise since the 1960s has been meteoric.

*****

Lotteries were bound up in the broader challenge of funding governance and development in states in the early republic. Yet for Bleecker and many New Yorkers, the lottery may have been simply a public spectacle. It is hard to know what, if anything, Bleecker thought about lotteries or their increasingly important role in public finance.  Perhaps that is the point, and a reminder of the value of historical manuscripts like Bleecker’s diary; it illustrates the mundane ways people experienced monumental transformations.  

This is one of a series of monthly posts highlighting entries from the Elizabeth De Hart Bleecker Diary. Previous installments include a broad overview description of the diary, a post about labor in early New York and another about the election of 1800.

About the Early American Manuscripts Project

Join us from 10-11 AM EDT for live reading recommendations on Twitter @NYPLRecommends!

For Fans of TV Series Fargo 

Fargo the television show was inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie of the same name.  It falls into the crime fiction genre, but it is also character-driven, offbeat, intricately plotted, darkly- funny, and has a strong sense of place. The place is the Midwest. 

Barnacles, Bugs, and Big Scary Teeth: Funny New Picture Books

This spring's newly published crop of picture books includes some laugh-out-loud funny installments.

Judging a Book by Its Title

Conventional wisdom aside, let’s be real: A lot of us decide whether we’re interested in reading a particular book by judging its cover—and its title, too. 

Dame Margaret Comes to Town: The Librarian Is In Podcast, Ep. 13

Margaret H. Willison, a.k.a. The Coolest Funniest Pop-Culture-iest Librarian Ever, joins Gwen and Frank this week for the ultimate high/low-culture episode. 

New York Times Read Alikes: May 23, 2016

Here are some read alikes for the top five bestselling fiction titles this week. 

Lynn read My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout and cannot seem to stop pushing it on everyone, friends, strangers...

Gwen is reading The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeny

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Fargo the television show was inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie of the same name. The show is an anthology, with a different story and set of characters for each season. It falls into the crime fiction genre, but it is also character-driven, offbeat, intricately plotted, darkly- funny, and has a strong sense of place. The place is the Midwest. The first season is set in Bemidji, Minnesota and the second is set in Luverne, Minnesota and Fargo, North Dakota. The scenery is pure Midwest, exteriors and interiors, endless flat snow covered fields and grilled cheese with tomato soup. The characters clothes and hair, temperaments, and colloquial expressions are pitch perfect. The first season of the show is set in 2006. The second is set in 1979. Fans will be pleased to learn season three is scheduled to premiere in spring, 2017. In the meantime, here is a list of offbeat, character-driven, intricately plotted, suspense novels set in the Midwest to hold you over.

Minnesota

Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger

One morning in the snowy Minnesota woods, 17-year-old Jessie finds his father dead, from what looks to be a suicide.

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Mia Dennett returns home after her abduction and captivity with very little memory of either. What unfolds in the aftermath is told from the viewpoints of her mother, the detective on the case, and the kidnapper.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

A college assignment leads Joe Talbert to become entangled in a cold case involving a Vietnam veteran, suppressed memories, and buried secrets.

American Boy by Larry Watson

Thanksgiving 1962, in Willow Falls, Minnesota a woman is shot and sets off a chain of events.

Erstwhere in the Midwest

The Last Fair Deal Going Down by David Rhodes

Set in Des Moines, the first half of the novel follows the Sledge family from one tragedy to the next. The novel’s second half follows Rueben Sledge into the City to save Tabor, his only promise of redemption.   

The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock

Set in the backwoods of Ohio, this is pure grittiness. The cast includes a band of serial killers, a creepy preacher, and a corrupt Sheriff.

Eden Springs by Laura Kasischke

Scandal, mystery, and hidden history, set in a religious cult in Michigan.

The End of Vandalism by Tom Dury

Set in a fictional Midwest town with a truly singular cast of characters. A love triangle is set off by a crime.

Short Story Collections

From the Darkness Right Under Our Feet Patrick Michael Finn

Set in the Rustbelt region of Illinois in the 1980’s, featuring an assembly of haunting characters confronted with impossible choices.

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters: Stories by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Well drawn, strong and flawed women living in rural America.

Crimes in Southern Indiana: Stories by Frank Bill

This one is ferocious and unflinching. Think meth addicts, fist fights, and other such depravity. 

The Pelham Bay Library opened its doors with much enthusiasm from the community on June 16, 1976 at 1 PM. It is a spacious one story brick building located at 3060 Middletown Road, on the corner of Middletown Road and Jarvis Ave in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. The neighborhood is a blend of urban accessibility with suburban comfort.

There are several schools in the vicinity and the RAIN center across the street, which allows for a diverse patronage of library users. The staff does outreach to these facilities, working together to engage with the community.

The library has Adult, Young Adult, and Children’s sections, as well a large community room used for meetings and programs. In addition, there is a study room for those seeking a more quiet setting. There are 12 computers in the Adult/Young Adult space and eight computers in the children’s room. The library also offers laptops for in-house use. In 2015, the library underwent a spruce up, which included brand new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, and brand new computers.

There are many children’s programs at the library, ranging from story time and crafts to STEM activities and movies.  

For young adults, there is gaming and teen lounge, and occasionally special programs, and, most recently, LEGO building workshops. 

For adults, there are computer classes on topics for beginners to advanced users and also one-on-one tutoring sessions.  There are also coloring for adult workshops, arts and crafts programs, movie screenings, a book club, and an exercise class. Occasionally, the library hosts special programs for adult patrons. 

To celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the library, the staff is hosting a special event on Wednesday June 15, 2016, with special guest Councilman James Vacca and a lecturer from the Bronx Historical Society.  

There is also a bulletin board dedicated to the library’s history, in addition to a book display to showcase books published in 1976.  

In June, the Book Club will read Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, which was also published in 1976. 

There will be movie screenings all month that will feature the greatest films of 1976, including All the President’s Men, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Logan’s Run and Murder By Death.

This blog post is in Spanish. For a blog in English about Memorial Day, please visit this link. Este blog fue escrito por Luz Valdez.

Con frecuencia la gente relaciona el “Memorial Day” con un fin de semana largo a fines del mes de mayo: no hay clases en las escuelas, se abren las piscinas y las playas, y comienza  extraoficialmente el verano. Pero exactamente que es Memorial Day? - El Día de Conmemoración a los Caídos.

El Dia de los Caídos se celebra en los Estados Unidos el último lunes del mes de mayo.  Este día está dedicado a todos los soldados que han perdido sus vidas luchando en guerras.

Para honrar a nuestros soldados, en la biblioteca de South Beach hicimos un programa de manualidades: una bandera con tela de fieltro. Los niños aprendieron sobre los componentes de la bandera, y  aprendieron también que en el El Dia de los Caídos las banderas de Estados Unidos deben de ser puestas a media asta en conmemoración a nuestros soldados fallecidos.

Algunos datos interesantes acerca de este día conmemorativo:

• La primera celebración del “Memorial Day” se llevó a cabo el 30 de mayo de 1868, en honor a los soldados caídos en la guerra civil.

• Además de Día de los Caídos, también celebramos a los veteranos de guerra (vivos o muertos) en Noviembre durante el Día de los Veteranos o “Veterans Day”

• De acuerdo con la Asociación Americana del Automóvil, el fin de semana de “Memorial Day” es uno de los fines de semana con más viajes en los Estados Unidos; aproximadamente 38 millones de estadounidenses viajarán 50 millas o más.

Para aprender más sobre este tema visite su biblioteca más cercana. Ahí encontrará libros y materiales disponibles sin costo.

Libros sugeridos para niños:

Spanish:

• El Día de los Caídos por Mir Tamim Ansary
• Memorial Day = Día de los caídos por Connor Dayton ; traducción al español, EduardoAlamán

English:

Memorial Day  by Mir Tamim Ansary
Let's celebrate Memorial Day by Barbara deRubertis
Cultural traditions in the United States by Molly Aloian

Esperamos que este año todos disfruten su fin de semana y recuerden de bajar su bandera a media asta en conmemoración.

Vilma Álvarez y Adriana Blancarte-Hayward también contribuyeron a este blog.

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Artist Maya Lin's work is big, from large-scale environmental installments to memorials to architectural projects. Her monograph Maya Lin: Topologies was published by Rizzoli in 2015. This week for the New York Public Library Podcast we're proud to present Maya Lin discussing memorials, What Is Missing, and building environments.

Lin's most recent project is an expansive one spanning from online spaces to actual spaces, digitally and as a physical book. It address the loss of biodiversity and habitats. She described it as a multimedia memorial for a shrinking world:

"The idea of What Is Missing is what if you could make a memorial that could be in as many places as it was invited in? It could exist as temporary installations, permanent installations, it exists as a website, whatismissing.net, it will exist as a virtual and a physical book, and to me it’s free as long as you share it... another thing I thought that would be very important for me with What Is Missing is to act as a frame where we’re quoting from all the NGOs, all the scientific groups, and what you begin to see is to see this group as a family and to see their gains and their losses."

This interest in memorials dates back to Lin's days as an undergraduate at Yale University. There she created her Vietnam Veteran's Memorial:

"To me though in a very funny way the most moving memorials, whether it’s the memorials to the missing in World War I that you brought up or what you just read, it’s all about absence, and it’s about there is an impossibility you absolutely can’t attain. So this is—this memorial, which is Lutyens’s Memorial to the Missing in Thiepval, France, is very directly connected to my design for the Vietnam Memorial, not so much formally, but twofold... [W]ritten on the white stone are the names of I think over a hundred thousand soldiers killed in one battle, over I think it was a three-day period, the Battle of the Somme, and they’re all missing. Why are they missing? Because there are no dog tags. So I had—you know, everyone knows this story. I designed the memorial, Vietnam memorial, as a class project, in the class project as a senior at Yale you have an option, you can set up your own class, so seven of us said, 'we’re interested in funereal architecture.' The design we did, right before we decided, 'oh, let’s design the Vietnam memorial, there’s a competition, that’s a great way to end the school.' The assignment was to design a memorial to World War III, and so I had started studying all about memorials, so you get back into the plot about the famous versus the missing or the individual."

With training as an architect, Lin is particularly attuned to the way that space is experienced. She spoke about atlases as a starting point for artistic creation:

"I would say about twenty years ago, fifteen years ago, I started buying up used atlases, and what I love is you follow, I follow with an Xacto blade landscape terrains and up until you get to the United States, ways in which we could measure by hubris, just measure a square, cities states territories followed more natural boundaries, so the idea is once I start drawing in, you’re kind of following both natural borders and political borders, and then I’m just making a landscape within, hidden away in atlases, again, and then this is a pin, these are pin rivers of waterways, this is at the U.S. Consulate in Beijing, and if you go back one, it is the Yangtze River. So I like looking and grounding people in what is literally right under their feet, I also love focusing on rivers, because we tend to again we’re incredibly territorial, we see what we know, and we know along a river where we live, maybe if someone’s polluting upstream, we’ll think about what’s up there, we don’t tend to worry about what’s downstream from us, so a lot of these rivers and waterways are beginning to get you to see these rivers as unified wholes."

You can subscribe to the New York Public Library Podcast to hear more conversations with wonderful artists, writers, and intellectuals. Join the conversation today!

The Digital Imaging Unit at The New York Public Library is an extraordinary place filled with talented artists and photographers who are dedicated to providing the public with images from the library’s special collections. I’m particularly fond of the notion that the work we do helps to release information from the page and put it at the fingertips of a new kind of internet-connected public library patron. This flow of information and its impact also has a reverse component, for we often and unexpectedly find ourselves transformed in the process.

Interacting with the special collections materials in the way we do, carefully and expertly handling the rarest and most fragile artifacts of our shared cultural heritage, and putting these objects in front of the highest-resolution cameras available reveals details and moments that inevitably stop us in our tracks. We see a person in a window looking back at the camera, an erasure, inky fingerprints on the back of a manuscript, the otherworldly skill and precision required to accomplish a particular drawing or print, or we pause in front of the overwhelming beauty of an object. We find ourselves seeing the objects, photography, the world, and ultimately ourselves differently after these encounters. As professional photographers, nothing brings us more pleasure than to be faced with the prints of photographic luminaries and to be able to attend to their translation into the networked landscape.

Here are a few highlights from our most beloved encounters with the library’s photo collections that we’ve seen along the way. —Eric Shows, Digitization Services Manager

I was very fortunate to handle most of the Library’s collection of Ben Shahn’s Depression-era FSA photographs. Shahn was primarily a painter and illustrator, which I think made him uninhibited behind the camera, but also very observant. He photographed his subjects in such a thoughtful way that they do not come across as victims from a bygone era, but as real and relatable people. —Martin Parsekian, Collections Photographer

I selected these images because I find it fascinating that we can appreciate and witness through them the life, work, and legacy of American music producer/writer, George Avakian. I think is great that not only was he recognized for playing a major role in the development of jazz, but also for impacting the lives of many great artists through his work as a music producer. —Jenny Jordan, Collections Photographer

I selected photographs of Willem DeKooning, Helen Frankenthaler, and Joan Mitchell by Walter Silver. These images capture the people behind iconic New York School paintings. The casual studio shots help me to imagine living and working with the abstract expressionists in the 1950s New York. —Rebecca Baldwin, Collections Photographer

I am always amazed by how we do what we do, for better, for worse, all the while. —Steven Crossot, Assistant Manager, Digitization Services

These three images represent the peculiarity of the library’s photographic collection. The romance and exoticism of Edward Curtis’ images of Native Americans from the early 20th century, official U.S. government press photos of military from WWI, and an annotated work print from the Walter Silver collection, with unintentionally ironic subtext. —Adam Golfer, Collections Photographer

These are a few of the photographs that have stuck with me over the years, by Berenice Abbott, Carl Mydans, and Walker Evans. Whether capturing the graphic signage and intensity of expression on people’s faces, the oddity of a testing scene or the subtle beauty and pride portrayed through a domestic scene, they all resonate with me in different ways. —Pete Riesett, Head Photographer

I love exploring the NYPL's photography collections because of the historical and pictorial relevance of the works they hold, including Berenice Abbott's Changing New York—a series of stunning, iconic black and white photographs of the "old" city. Abbott was an extraordinarily skilled architectural photographer, but I especially enjoy her methodical documentation of storefronts as an integral part of the city, featuring visually glorious layers of texture and content. —Allie Smith, Collections Photographer

These are just a few images in a wonderful series by photographer Alen MacWeeney that were taken in 1977 in the NYC subway. At first glance I love these photographs because of how cool and stylized they look depicting the 1970s graffiti covered New York. Then you peer in closer and you see how MacWeeney added his own twist to the images by pairing two separate images to create diptychs which at first sight might appear to be one image. That creates an interesting narrative between the cast of characters. Added plus with these images is that no one is typing away on their phones and it doesn’t appear as crowded and jam packed with people as it is today. But there are things in the photos that never change on the subway and are timeless. —Marietta Davis, Collections Photographer

If you are among the many readers who bought and read one of these five titles and want more of the same adventure or romance or thrills, here are some suggestions for you.

#1 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, more British love stories:

Other People's Childrenby Joanna Trollope

One Day by David Nicholls

The House We Grew Up Inby Lisa Jewell

#2 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed 15th Affair by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, more women detectives working suspenseful mysteries:

Garnethillby Denise Mina

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Various Haunts of Menby Susan Hill

#3 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews, more beach reads:

The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer

Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorthea Benton Frank

#4 Recommendations for readers who enjoyedThe Last Mile by David Baldacci, more intricately plotted suspense:

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Those Who Wish Me Deadby Michael Koryta

#5 Recommendations for readers who enjoyed The Fireman by Jill Hill, more apocalyptic fiction:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway

Bird Boxby Josh Malerman

As a student in NYPL’s free ESOL classes, Raul Flores is proud to say that he has gone from knowing just a few basic English phrases, to being able to converse comfortably with other English speakers. In a city as expensive as New York, he says, having free English classes is an enormous help to him. In this week’s Library Story, learn more about how the Library’s ESOL classes have opened the door for a whole new world of opportunities for Raul and his family.

Library Stories is a video series from The New York Public Library that shows what the Library means to our users, staff, donors, and communities through moving personal interviews.

Like, share, and watch more Library Stories on Facebook or YouTube.

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, and the Library is proud to be hosting a wide array of events throughout the month to celebrate. Join us for conversations, trivia, dancing, and much more with one of our exciting events. For those unable to attend, check out a book or browse our online resources to learn more about LGBT history and the continuing fight for equality in the United States.

First Fridays: LGBTQ Black Pride Edition
Friday, June 3, 2016, 6–10 PM
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Join us as we celebrate our inspiring LGBTQ pioneers and the rich history housed in our In The Life Archive collection at our second annual First Fridays: Black LGBTQ Pride Edition. Groove to the music of DJ Missy B and Craig Nice in the Langston Hughes Lobby, and jam to DJ Frankie Paradise in the American Negro Theatre as you enjoy our signature drinks. Take advantage of our sponsored fair in the Latimer/Edison Gallery Lobby with tables provided by Destination Tomorrow, Housing Works, HEAT Project, AMIDA Care, Black Pride, Callen Lorde, Harlem Pride, and BOOM! Health. There will also be free health screenings outside the Schomburg Center provided by Housing Works and Boom Health. And you won’t want to miss a legendary drag performance by Harmonica Sunbeam, presented by our fabulous hosts, Dhalimu from Dhali’s closet and Lee Soulja from the House of Soulja. Register or get more information.

NYPL LGBT Pride Trivia Concert - Hosted by Isle of Klezbos
Tuesday, June 7, 2016, 7 PM
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater - 425 Lafayette Street New York, NY 10003
The Library continues its Trivia Concert series with a LGBT Pride month celebration, featuring the incredible Isle of Klezbos. Show off your pride and your knowledge of gay icons, queer artists, and gender-non-conforming heroes in this one-of-a-kind interactive event, featuring NYC’s powerhouse, fun loving all-women klezmer sextet. Come celebrate Pride, Library style, with questions inspired by the Library’s vast archives of LGBT activists, pioneers, and artists.  Compete for prizes as an individual or as a team with your table. Doors at 6 PM,  show at 7 PM, cover charge $20. Register or get more information.

Making the Invisible Visible: NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project - Documenting Place-Based Cultural Heritage
Tuesday, June 7, 2016, 7–8:30 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Celeste Auditorium
With introductory remarks by historian George Chauncey (Gay New York) and a brief salute to special guest Dick Leitsch, pioneering Mattachine Society activist. Despite common misconception, New York City’s LGBT community has a long and vibrant history that predates the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. Existing historic sites associated with arts and culture, important social centers such as bars and LGBT organizational locations, residences of notable figures, and activism (to name a few) span as far back as the 18th century. Yet despite this history, these tangible reminders of the city’s LGBT community remain largely unknown and potentially endangered. At this program, learn about the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project and its ongoing survey of historic and cultural sites throughout the five boroughs. Directors Andrew S. Dolkart, Ken Lustbader, and Jay Shockley and project manager Amanda Davis will also discuss the interactive online map of sites that the public will be able to use in order to learn more about LGBT place-based history and that will utilize the resources of the Library’s extensive LGBT collections. Register or get more information.

LGBT Philosophy Forum
Saturday, June 11, 2016, 2:45–4:45 PM
Muhlenberg Library
For over 15 years the Forum has provided the LGBT community and its friends an open opportunity to gather and informally discuss important works of philosophy. More information.

Midweek Movie: The Danish Girl
Wednesday, June 15, 2016, 11:15 AM
Riverside Library
The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, Amber Heard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tussie Silberg, Adrian Schiller. 2016, 120 minutes. More information.

It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality
Thursday, June 16, 2016, 6:30 PM
Mid-Manhattan Library
With Michelangelo Signorile, best-selling author of Queer in America and host of the Sirius XM radio show The Michelangelo Signorile Show, discusses It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality. This illustrated lecture provides a myth-shattering look at the present and future of gay rights, addressing the challenges that lie ahead for LGBT Americans. More information.

Anti-Prom 2016 (Only for teens ages 12 to 18)
Friday, June 17, 6:30–9 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Teens ages 12 to 18, come dance the night away at the Library! Anti-Prom provides a free, alternative, safe space for all teens who may not feel welcome at official school programs or dances because of their sexuality, gender presentation, the way they dress, or any other reason. At the event, a DJ will be spinning and you can enjoy checking out the Secret Garden-inspired fashions created by Design NYPL's teen designers. Open only to students ages 12-18 with student ID. Register or get more information.

Shall We Wed? Financial Planning for Same-sex Households
Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 6–7:30 PM
Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL), Conference Room 018
The Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges made same sex marriage the law of the land in all 50 states.  What does this mean for those who are not married or considering marriage?  Marriage is a very personal decision with important legal and financial implications.  Learn how legal marriage might affect you—for better or worse! Presented by Thom Chu, Esq. More information. 

Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
Thursday, June 23, 2016, 6:30 PM
Mid-Manhattan Library 
Amy Ellis Nutt, a science writer at The Washington Post and Pulitzer Prize winner in feature writing, discusses her book Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family. This illustrated lecture tells the inspiring true story of a transgender girl, her identical twin brother, and an ordinary American family’s extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all. More information.

Stand by Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation
Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 6:30 PM
Mid-Manhattan Library 
With Jim Downs, a Mellon New Directions Fellow at Harvard University and an associate professor of history at Connecticut College. The history of the gay liberation has often been narrated as a story of political progress and sexual freedom, but this illustrated lecture uncovers how the 1970s engendered a literary, cultural, and religious awakening for LGBT people. The talk explores the creation of a LGBT church in New Orleans that was the victim of an arson attack in 1973, making it the largest massacre of gay people in U.S. History. More information.

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) is a community-based, nonprofit organization founded in 1979 that serves Washington Heights and Inwood, in upper Manhattan. NMIC has worked hard to empower the community's poorest residents through education, training, organizing, and support.  All services are free and bilingual English-Spanish. 

Employment and Training 

NMIC offers a spectrum of services to the unemployed and underemployed residents of the upper Manhattan to help them improve their skills and secure employment.  Job seekers receive assistance in developing and upgrading their resumes, practicing and improving their interviewing skills, learning various job search techniques, and linkage to employers according to their occupational interest.  Additionally, NMIC's work support services help the newly employed residents supplement their income by accessing public and private benefits and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).  Career counseling and career upgrade services are integrated in all NMIC Workforce Development services as well.

Vocational Training

The Building Maintenance and Weatherization Training Program at NMIC is a sector based training opportunity for residents who are interested in occupations in construction, building maintenance and repair, weatherization and green construction fields.  The course combines classroom instruction and hands-on training at NMIC's construction lab in a 12-week training program with modules related to the basics of plumbing, electrical, sheetrocking, tiling, door and window installation and insulation, and energy efficiency and building retrofit.

Workforce development programs at NMIC include:

• YouthBuild Training 
• Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP)  
• Youth Empowered to Succeed Program (Y.E.S.) for Out-of -School-Youth (OSY)

To Apply 

• Call Sophie Mabiala at 212-822-8324 or Alfonso Bravo at 212-822-8301
• Email sophiemabiala@nmic.org or alfonsobravo@nmic.org
• In person at 176th Street and Wadsworth Avenue to apply (45 Wadsworth Ave., New York, NY 10033 2nd Floor)

Bird Barrett is the latest country music sensation. She singing opening acts for other stars, such as Jolene. She lives and breathes words mingled with acoustics. Her life is filled with touring, stardom, and dealing with her mother and father's reaction to her fame. With an overprotective manager father, the girl has her hands full. Then, she meets Kai, who is also touring with his own band. Together, they luxuriate in their shared interests. Bird writes lyrics and sings, while Kai's band pursues another variety of music. 

Kai affects Bird in a way that no other boy ever has. She feels an electric spark whenever he is around. Since they are both touring, they must endure time apart. However, their time together is golden. They explore each other's minds and hearts, and they fit as if they are pieces joined in a puzzle. 

The Road to You by Alecia Whitaker, 2015

• Alecia Whitaker's web site
• Books about music

When the Angry Birds movie hit theaters, we asked our NYPL recommendation experts to name their favorite books, movies, or TV shows that feature… well, angry birds.

We opened it up to all age ranges, with one caveat: The birds MUST be REALLY angry. No nice birds on this list!

Picture Books

If You Pant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. There’s also an angry mouse, an angry rabbit, and GORGEOUS artwork. —Althea Georges, Mosholu

“When Bird woke up, he was grumpy.” In Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard, Bird goes through a walk in the forest where his animal friends try to cheer him up between plenty of stomping and sarcasm! —Anna Taylor, Children’s Programming

Pardon Me by Daniel Miyares. A little yellow bird gets increasingly angry as other animals invade his space on a rock in a sunny swamp. He gets his due with a twisted twist ending. —M. Amber Moller, George Bruce

Children's & Young Adult Books

The Outcast of Redwall from the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Krakulat, the leader of the Crow Brethren, led a revengeful attack against the horde that killed his mother. —Laura Stein, Grand Central

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel instilled in me both a serious fear of owls (these particular owls are very angry, and they set things on fire) and a lot of knowledge about bats. —Jordan Graham, Outreach

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater. This is what happens when your Mom sends you out to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, but you bring home an independent-minded, 266-pound chicken named Henrietta instead. —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street

Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. After thousands of years, the war between the shapeshifting avians and serpiente comes to a head, and combining the two royal houses may be the only chance at peace. Hawksong is the first book of The Kiesha’ra Series. —Nanyamkah M. Mars, Westchester Square

Graphic Novels

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen is about mice with swords and in this graphic novel they fight an owl, which to a mouse with a sword is like taking on a dragon. —Judd Karlman, Pelham Bay

John Layman and Rob Guillory’s Chew  series features the homicidal secret agent chicken Poyo, who is a partly-mechanized “doomsday device” known for mercilessly eviscerating his enemies. It’s crazier than it sounds. —Crystal Chen, Muhlenberg

Robin isn’t actually a bird, but he represents one… he’s the human leader with huge anger management issues from Teen Titans Go!, an MTV Cribs-meets-superhero team comic and cartoon. —Jeremy Megraw, Billy Rose Theatre Division

Adult Books

The series where owls own each other all day, every day:Guardians of Ga’Hoole (Book 1: The Capture). Please live by the words of the film’s trailer, “On his way to finding the legend, he will become one.”—Joe Pascullo, Grand Central

Ever wonder where Hitchcock got the idea? Check out the chilling short story “The Birds” in Daphne Du Maurier’s collectionThe Birds and Other Stories, which delves into the historic symbolism of World War II. —Alessandra Affinito, Chatham Square

The whooping cranes who find a home at the Rubber Rose Ranch in Even Cowgirls Get The Blues are definitely angry about being kidnapped by the FBI and used as pawns in the battle between big government and women’s liberation! —Charlie Radin, Inwood

How about The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami? It consists of “The Thieving Magpie,” “Bird as Prophet” and “The Birdcatcher.” —Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market

The Shrike in Hyperion by Dan Simmons is one angry “bird.” The earthly shrike is commonly known as the “butcher bird” for its habit of catching insects and small vertebrates and impaling them on the thorns of trees before it feeds. Simmons is a master of language and has a very unique imagination, so the Shrike in his story is a time-travelling being that takes the “butcher” aspect all of the way. —Virginia Bartow, Special Collections

Movies & Television

The angriest birds ever: The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, enigmatic thriller from 1963. —Kathie Coblentz, Special Collections

Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch, but how about The Maltese Falcon? —Greg Holch, Mulberry Street

The 1940s movie Bill and Coo is weirdly wonderful, and has an all bird cast. Yes, an all bird cast dressed as humans in the tiny town of Chirpendale. Little Bill rescues Coo from the evil crow known as The Black Menace. —Maura Muller, Volunteer Office

The owls are not what they seem.. and there is no angrier bird than Bob in Twin Peaks, the complete series and Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me. —Billy Parrott, Mid-Manhattan

Iago, the grouchy, scheming, short-tempered parrot from Disney’s Aladdin, was one of my favorite characters in the movie. (He becomes a little nicer in the sequel, though.) —Christina Lebec, Bronx Library Center

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!