During the week, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. On Fridays, though, we suggest kicking back to catch up on all the delightful literary reading the internet has to offer. Don’t have the time to hunt for good reads? Never fear. We’ve rounded up the best bookish reading of the week for you.

We Read...

That scientists have discoveredreaders are richer.  Nerds will have some fun with grammar books to give you the exclamation point feelings, the kind of feelings you have when Kevin Young joins the Schomburg Centerfor Research in Black Culture as director. Tobecome Jo March,say, "That's capital!" instead of "That's cool." Example: that's capital that Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey will writeBlack Panther spin-offs and that thereal Winnie-the-Pooh returnedto the Library after a little a nip/tuck. But why did Googleerase author Dennis Cooper's blog? At least we can figure out how tofit in big books with #Read20.Or, we can read booksrecommended by our littlest patrons. On #NationalColoringDay, we broke out the crayons and got to it in ourfree, downloadable coloring book, while listening toPulitzer Prize-winner Siddhartha Mukherjeeexplain how his medical patients got him to write a book. And as the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro kick off,book-sport pairingsbring together brain and brawn.

Stereogranimator Friday Feels:

GIF made with the NYPL Labs Stereogranimator

TGIF:

No need to get up! Join our librarians from the home, office, playground — wherever you have internet access — for book recs on Twitter by following our handle @NYPLrecommends from 10 AM to 11 AM every Friday. Or, you can check NYPL Recommends any day of the week for more suggestions.
 

What did you read?

If you read something fantastic this week, share with our community of readers in the comment section below.

I am a child of the '90s and anyone who tries to argue that the '90s wasn’t a golden age of sports movie is going to get a disappointed head shake from me. So, in honor of the Summer Reading theme of Get in the Game and Flashback Fridays, I will be nerding out about the sports movies from my childhood that made me the avid sports fan I am today.

The Mighty Ducks
Gordon Bombay gets in trouble with the law after a drunk driving incident and is forced to coach a, quite frankly, terrible peewee hockey team called District 5. Of course, they end up being all glorious in the end. If ever I had a comfort movie, it is The Mighty Ducks. It made me the hockey fan I am today. I don’t think I would have half as much fun in the winter if I wasn’t agonizing over the Devils.

A League of Their Own
Ah the origin of “There’s no crying in baseball.” A League of Their Own tells the story of a wartime women’s baseball team called the Rockford Peaches who were charged with entertaining the country during World War II. And, yes, Tom Hanks played their coach and, yes, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell were amazing in the film. This is definitely one of those girl power movies and I love it.

Rudy
Rudy has made many a person cry. I will not admit to being one of them. Rudy tells the story of Rudy Ruettiger who overcame great obstacles to achieve his dream of attending and playing football at Notre Dame. The film is truly inspiring, as all good sports movies should be. I am not the biggest football fan on the planet but I love this movie.

Remember the Titans
This is a bit of a cheat since Remember the Titans came out in 2000 but I couldn’t not include it. Remember the Titans tells the true story of a recently desegregated high school football team, the T.C. Williams Titans. It’s an amazing film with some of the best football scenes I have ever scene in a movie. The soundtrack is also amazing.

Space Jam
What combines the mid-'90s amazingness of Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes? The answer is Space Jam. The movie made little to no sense but it combined everything that I loved as a '90s kid. I loved how a sports hero I loved was immersed into the Looney Tunes universe and, even today, I am impressed by how well it worked.

The Sandlot
I don’t think I have ever met a '90s kid who did not love The Sandlot. The Sandlot tells the story of Scotty Smalls who moves to a new neighborhood and attempts to join the local sandlot baseball team. The film is a wonderful mix of comedy and sports film with engaging characters and humor that passes the test of time.

Varsity Blues
I was just starting high school when Varsity Blues came out and oh boy did I love it. I have never been a big fan of football but I love a good football movie. This is James van der Beek at his best. Forget Dawson Leery. I would rather watch Mox Moxson try to overcome the heavy expectations of his football-obsessed father and his overbearing coach than watch Dawson Leery wax philosophical and moon over Joey... or Jenn…

The Cutting Edge
The story begins when two Olympians, one a promising hockey player and the other a spoiled figure skater, collide... literally... right before a game. The collision forces Doug to retire from a promising NHL career and Kate fires her partner halfway through their Olympic program. Of course, the only logical conclusion is that Doug become Kate’s partner for the Nationals and Olympics. There is much conflict, bickering and, of course, romance. This movie was one of my favorites as a child. It combined my love of hockey and figure skating. And it is the reason I walked around yelling “Toe pick” at everyone when I was a child.

Miracle
I saved the best for last. Miracle tells the story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey team. It captures the time period perfectly as well as the rapture of the victory. It’s the ultimate underdog story and if you don’t like hockey before you watch this film, you will love it after. The hockey scenes were also extremely well done—this is coming from a very picky hockey fan. I will admit to shedding a couple of tears while watching this movie.

U.S. Census Bureau - Ongoing Recruitment on Monday August  8, 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.

New Partners, Inc. will present a recruitment on Tuesday, August 9, 2016, 10 am - 1:30 pm for Home Health Aide (10 F/T & P/T openings), at Flushing Workforce 1 Career Center, 138-60 Barclay Avenue, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355.  No appointment required.

Time Warmer Cable will present a recruitment onTuesday, August 9, 2016, 10 am - 3 pm, for Dispatch Technician (8 openings).  By appointment only at Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, New York State Department of Labor, 250 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.  Additional event information:  Time Warner Cable currently seeks a Commercial Dispatcher for their Business Class Technical Operations Department.  Positions can be based at  Paidge Ave., Brooklyn location or College Point, Queens location.

Adecco Staffing for Cirque du Soleil will present a recruitment on Wednesday, August 10, 2016, 10 am - 2 pm, for Janitor (5 Short Term openings),  Runner (5 Short Term openings),  Costume Dresser (5  Short Term openings), Box Office Clerk (5 Short Term openings), Usher (5 Short Term openings), Merchandising Clerk (5 Short Term openings), Food & Beverage Clerk (5 Short Term openings), VIP Host (5 Short Term openings), Receptionist (5 Short Term openings), Production Office Assistant (5 Short Term openings), Kitchen Chef (5 Short Term openings),  Dining Room Attendant (5 Short Term openings), Prep Cook (5 Short Term openings), Dishwasher (5 Short Term openings) at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458.

International Cruise and Excursions Gallery will present a recruitment on Wednesday, August 10, 2016, 12 - 5 pm, for Sears Vacations Marketing Associate (6 P/T openings), at NYS Department of Labor - Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.  By appointment only.

Speedway LLC will present a recruitment on Thursday, August  11, 2016, 10 am - 3 pm for Assistant Manger (Co-Mgr. 5 Retail openings),  Customer Service Rep- Retail Sales (5 openings),  District Manager Trainee -Retail Sales (5 openings), Team Lead (Shift Leader Trainee) - Retail Sales (5 openings).  By appointment  only at Brooklyn Central Library Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.  Speedway operates a chain of combination gas stations and convenience stores throughout the five boroughs.

Basic Resume Writing  workshop on Thursday, August 11, 2016, 1:30 - 3 pm at Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn  Street,  Brooklyn, NY 11201.   Participants will learn the purpose of a resume, chronological and combination resumes and select the appropriate type for their specific needs.

Job Postings at New York City Workforce 1.  

Apprenticeship Opportunities in New York City.

Brooklyn Community  Board 14: Available jobs

The New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCE&TC) is an association of 200 community-based organizations, educational institutions, and labor unions that annually provide job training and employment services to over 750,000 New Yorkers, including welfare recipients, unemployed workers, low-wage workers, at-risk youth, the formerly incarcerated, immigrants and the mentally and physically disabled. View NYCE&TC Job Listings.

Digital NYC is the official online hub of the New York City startup and technology ecosystem, bringing together every company, startup, investor, event, job, class, blog, video, workplace, accelerator, incubator, resource, and organization in the five boroughs. Search jobs by category on this site.

St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development provides Free Job Training and Educational Programs in Environmental Response and Remediation Tec (ERRT). Commercial Driver's License, Pest Control Technician Training (PCT), Employment Search and Prep Training and Job Placement, Earn Benefits and Career Path Center. For information and assistance, please visit St. Nicks Alliance Workforce Development or call 718-302-2057 ext. 202.

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations helps jobless and working poor New Yorkers establish careers in sectors that offer good wages and opportunities for advancement. Currently, BWI offers free job training programs in four industries: commercial driving, telecommunications cable installation, TV and film production, and skilled woodworking.

CMP (formerly Chinatown Manpower Project) in lower Manhattan is now recruiting for a free training in Quickbooks, Basic Accounting, and Excel. This training is open to anyone who is receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Class runs for eight weeks, followed by one-on-one meetings with a job developer. CMP also provides Free Home Health Aide Training for bilingual English/Cantonese speakers who are receiving food stamps but no cash assistance. Training runs Mondays through Fridays for six weeks and includes test prep and taking the HHA certification exam. Students learn about direct care techniques such as taking vital signs and assisting with personal hygiene and nutrition. For more information for the above two training programs, email: info@cmpny.org, call 212-571-1690, or visit. CMP also provides tuition-based healthcare and business trainings free to students who are entitled to ACCESS funding.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) trains women and places them in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades. It helps women achieve economic independence and a secure future. For information call 212-627-6252 or register online.

Grace Institute provides tuition-free, practical job training in a supportive learning community for underserved New York area women of all ages and from many different backgrounds. For information call 212-832-7605.

Please note this page will be revised when more recruitment events for the week of August 7 become available.

Rio De Janeiro , Cidade Maravilhosa ,is welcoming thousands of athletes and spectators from around the globe. To celebrate the Olympic Games in Rio, Mid-Manhattan Library created a number of book and picture displays on subjects relating to the history and politics of the Olympic Games. The following book list includes titles from our displays, located on the third and fifth floors of Mid-Manhattan Library.

In addition to our Olympic Reading display on the third floor, Elena Kilinsky and Jay Vissers created an Olympic-themed exhibition of images from Mid-Manhattan's Picture Collection.

While we encourage everyone to stop by the book displays at Mid-Manhattan, we want to also remind our readers that a number of the titles on these lists are available in e-book format. For instructions on how to use our new SimplyE app, see this step-by step guide.

Olympic Games: Past and Present

Munich 1972: Tragedy, Terror, And Triumph At The Olympic Games by David Clay Large
Comprehensive history of the 1972 games, notorious for the abduction of Israeli athletes.

Chasing Water: Elegy Of An Olympian by Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides
A perfect book for understanding the psyche of the athlete. Written by a team of a celebrated Olympic swimmer and his trainer, this candid account of struggles to overcome the effects of reckless choices will inspire and entertain.

The Games: A Global History Of The Olympics by David Goldblatt
Sportswriter David Goldblatt traces the history of the Olympics through the years of national triumphs and tragedies, personal victories and disappointments.

Power Games: A Political History Of The Olympics by Jules Boykoff
A former US Olympic Team member discusses the checkered political history of the modern Olympic Games.

Brazil's Dance With The Devil: The World Cup, The Olympics, And The Fight For Democracy by Dave Zirin
Sportswriter Dave Zirin examines the World Cup and the Olympics.

Berlin Games: How The Nazis Stole The Olympic Dream by Guy Walters
Berlin Games is a fascinating narrative history of the two fateful weeks in 1936.

Olympic Dreams: China And Sports, 1895-2008 by Xu Guoqi
This highly informative book is attempting to trace the history of Chinese ambitions to produce Olympic winners. Xu Guogi is clearly demonstrating that in China sports is inseparable from ideology. This scholarly book received academic excellence award from Chinese Historians in the United States and was chosen as the best book of 2008 by International Society of Olympic Historians

Olympic Turnaround: How The Olympic Games Stepped Back From The Brink Of Extinction To Become The World's Bet Known Brand by Michael Payne
Michael Payne describes the revival of the Olympic Games movement in the 1980s.

The Ancient Olympics by Nigel Spivey
This brief and pithy volume can answer all your questions about the origins, customs and politics of the original games.

Our fifth floor display contains a large selection of books celebrating rich cultural heritage of Brazil. The books listed in this blog include a number of titles on display.

Brazil

Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power, Decadence, And Hope In An American Country by Alex Cuadros
While covering the lifestyles of rich and famous, Alex Guadros was perfectly positioned to document the lives of Brazil's elites. In his book he is introducing us to the Brazilian way of doing business and enjoying life sem limites.

Favela: Four Decades Of Living On The Edge In Rio De Janeiro by Janice Perlman
Approximately 20% of Rio's population resides in 1,020 favelas. Favelas, unauthorized squatter settlements, are ubiquitous in Brazil. It is currently fashionable to glamorize favelas. Janice Perlman's book is a warning against such trends. For the past forty years, she has traced the pernicious affects of violence and drug trade on favela residents.

Rio: Beyond the Map
Step inside the world of Rio's favelas with Google. You will meet an accomplished ballet dancer, a determined student who is now computer programmer and a homeless surf instructor.

Brazilian Food by by Thiago Castnho and Luciana Bianci
Two chefs explore the rich regional cooking of Brazil. This book contains over a hundred recipes and colorful pictures, shot on location.

Rio by Marc Ferrez
A collaborative effort of two photographers, this book showcases two very different artistic perceptions of the city.

The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, And The Popular Music Of Brazil by Chris McGowand and Ricardo Pessanha
Comprehensive history of popular music in Brazil.

Anaconda Choke by Jeremy Brown
Woodshed Wallace is in Rio to participate in Banzai Eddie Takanori’s first international Warrior Inc. event. While human opponents do not frighten him, fighting Exu, the highly diabolical spirit of lust, vice and crime, is not on his agenda.

Brazil by Michael Palin
Michael Palin traveled from Amazonia to São Paulo, with stops in otherworldly Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and colorful Belem in the northeast. An excellent introduction to the diverse regional enclaves, with wonderful photography by Basil Pao.

Brazil: The Fortunes Of War: World War II and the Making of Modern Brazil by Neill Lochery
This well-researched work sheds light on the origins of the strategic and diplomatic decisions of Brazil and the regime of Getúlio Vargas.

Hotel Brasil: The Mystery Of The Severed Heads by Frei Betto
The first English translation of Frei Betto's work, this police procedural is set in a family-run hotel in Rio.

Blood-Drenched Beard by Daniel Galera
The author of this highly memorable novel is a highly acclaimed young Brazilian novelist. The unnamed young protagonist is suffering from a rare neurological disorder. His is unable to recall faces, including his own, and those of his family members. After his father's suicide and his grandfather's mysterious disappearance, he settles in a peaceful fishing village. Part mystery, part existential meditation on one's fate and identity, this novel was awarded the 2013 San Paulo Literature Prize.

El Invasor by Marçal Aquino
The works of this prolific and popular Brazilian writer are yet to be translated into English. He receives my prize for the most lyrical and sensual title of a novel: Eu Receberia as Piores Notícias dos seus Lindos Lábios. Mid-Manhattan has one copy of a Spanish translation of his novel.

On October 26, 1900, two giants of the American literary tradition, Edith Wharton and Henry James, began corresponding when James wrote to Wharton in true fanboy style, praising her story "The Line of Least Resistance." The feeling was mutual. For her part, Wharton took inspiration from James's work. 

As their friendship grew, Wharton began to call James "Cherest Maitre," while he called her things like "admirable Confrere" and "Princesse Rapprochee." They discussed dinner party gossip, bummers like going to the dentist, and, of course, writing.

Their work has frequently been compared, each writing realist novels of great psychological acuity fraught with social drama. At the same time, the two often differed in both approach to form and in setting. But can you tell the two writers's work apart? Take our quiz to find out just how well you know the American turn-of-the-century fiction of these literary buds.



To take the quiz, simply click "start" below.
 

Семь жизней : рассказы / Захар Прилепин

Новый сборник ранее не опубликованных рассказов популярного автора. 

Сновидения / Нора Робертс 

Новый роман детективного жанра популярной писательницы Норы Робертс вновь столкнет вас с Евой Даллас. В стенах заброшенного дома для трудных подростков обнаруживают трупы убитых девочек. Ева и ее коллега Пибоди  берутся  за расследование жестокого преступления. 

Спаситель / Ю. Несбё

Камо грядеши / Генрик Сенкевич 

Лауреат Нобелевской премии, писатель Генрих Сенкевичеще при жизни пользовался популярность у себя на родине и за рубежом. Его исторический  роман Камо Гядеши посвещен борьбе Нерона против Христиан. 

See if this sounds familiar: Summer is winding down and you’re wondering what to read next before you have to take that leap back into required reading (although let’s be honest—you should already be doing that—just saying). Maybe you want some suspense and action in your life? Maybe a story that takes place in an exotic location? Well, I’ve got you covered on both counts.

Here are ten novels filled with thrills, action, suspense, murder, romance and all set in exotic and romantic locations around the world—all perfect reads for the last days of summer. So check out a book, grab those sunglasses and don’t forget the sunscreen!

With Malice by Eileen Cook

Jill wakes up in an American hospital to find she is accused of murdering her best friend Simone while on a study abroad trip in Italy—however, she can’t remember anything that happened—before or after Simone's death. All the evidence points to her and all of social media is sure she did it but Jill knows she could never hurt Simone, who was like a sister to her... or could she? The perfect beach read with lots of fun twists and turns that you won't see coming.

Blue Voyageby Diana Renn

While on a forced mother-daughter bonding trip to Turkey, Zan, who’s often in trouble with the law, gets caught in the crosshairs of an antiquities smuggling ring. They think that she can lead them to priceless ancient treasures. The action takes you from the beautiful Aegean coast to bustling Istanbul, where to save herself and her family and recapture the treasures, Zan will have to think fast on her feet and rely on new friends before the bad guys get away. Renn’s books are great adventures and never disappoint!

Charlie Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel

Starting in Paris, Lena and Aubrey both attend the funeral of Charlie, the boy they both considered their boyfriend. Neither of them knew each other existed and that’s just the first of the secrets that come out when they meet. The big question however is, is he really dead? Clearly neither of them knew Charlie as well as they thought they did. Follow the clues from Paris to Mumbai, India to Bangkok, Thailand and see if you can spot the truth from the lies. A fun, twisty book that will keep you guessing.

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn

When Violet agrees to spend the summer in Seattle with her artist father, she never thought she'd get get entangled with an art heist and dangerous art thieves. But that’s what happens, when clients of her father, the Yamadas, have three priceless Van Gogh sketches stolen from them, putting them all, including Violet and her father, in danger. Soon Violet is on the hunt for a missing Van Gogh painting, which takes her from Seattle to yakuza-infested Tokyo and beyond, unsure of who she can trust. With its Japanese setting and great heroine, Renn once again proves her masterful storytelling skills.

All Fall Down/ Embassy Row seriesby Ally Carter

Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, Grace, an Army brat, returns to Embassy Row and the American Embassy, where her grandfather is a powerful ambassador. She used to spend every summer there, until her mother was killed and she was institutionalized in a mental hospital. Now out, everyone just wants her to put on a pretty dress, smile  and pretend like nothing has happened... but Grace is determined to track down her mother’s murderer. With no one believing her and no one she can trust, Grace is on her own. Ally Carter knows how to build suspense and mysteries that will keep you guessing. Book 2 is See How They Run. 

The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

When young Anne Beddingfield witnesses a murder on a platform of a London tube station, she’s left with more questions than answers so she takes matters into her own hands. Following the clues leads her to another murder and more questions and she soon finds herself on a luxury ocean liner headed to South Africa and in the crosshairs of jewel thieves. This book has it all: murder, diamond heists, a murky criminal underground, a handsome, irritable man and an indomitable heroine. This one is a bit of a throwback, but it’s one of my all time favorites and you can never go wrong with Agatha Christie.

Latitude Zero by Diana Renn

After her boyfriend, Juan Carlos, an Ecuadorian cycling superstar, dies mysteriously during a charity bike ride, Tess, an aspiring journalist, decides to run her own investigation. She was one of last people to speak to him and she grapples with grief and guilt knowing she didn’t return his desperate phone call to her before he died. Her pursuit of answers takes her to Ecuador and the dark underbelly of the cycling world. Stalked by people wanting her to stop looking into Juan Carlo’s death, she’ll have to find out the killer before time runs out and she becomes their next victim. Another excellent action-adventure mystery from Renn, you won’t be disappointed.

Heist Society series by Ally Carter

Kat is trying to go straight, after a childhood of conning and thieving with her criminal family. But when an Italian mobster’s art collection is stolen and her father is the only suspect, she’s forced to come back and clear his name. To do it she’ll need to get the (criminal) band back together, outsmart Interpol and make a deal with the most dangerous man in Europe... which is all in a day’s work for Kat. This is a roller coaster ride of action, humor and romance that you will fall for at page one. You'll find more of the Society's adventures in Perfect Scoundrels and Uncommon Criminals. 

13 Little Blue Envelopes series by Maureen Johnson

Three months after her Aunt Peg’s death, Ginny gets a letter from her. That's weird thing number one. Weird thing number two is that it contains $1,000 and a roundtrip plane ticket to Europe. The instructions are simple: Ginny must backpack through Europe with only her Aunt’s letters (13 in all) as her guide. No laptop. No phone. No adults. Just the letters. Weird thing number three is that Ginny actually goes and now her life will never be the same again. This is a mystery of the unknown, of taking a giant leap of faith and discovering new things about yourself. Would you have the guts to do that? The second book is The Last Little Blue Envelope.

Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

In London, young runaway Linus is kidnapped by an unnamed assailant and put in an underground bunker with very little food or water and no way to escape. He’s soon joined by five other people ranging in age from nine to seventy. In close quarters, the situation becomes more desperate as time goes on and with no answers as to why they were taken. They can only hope that they will either find a way to escape or communicate with the outside world before it’s too late. If you’re into dark, psychological thrillers, this is the perfect book for you, but you might need a to buy a night light when you’ve finished. You've been warned. 

Jesús Ruiz, Ph.D Candidate at Tulane University and Short-Term Research Fellow at the Schomburg Center, writes about his first ever visit to the Schomburg Center's Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, and his elation over discovering rare gems in our collections:

Having never visited the Schomburg Center, I was immediately impressed by the excellent physical state of the documents as I mined through the Haiti Miscellaneous Collection. I found fascinating records, most of which are in French, dealing with some of the reactions that both American and French authorities had to the revolts of August 1791 in the northern plains of Saint Domingue. From cutouts of a Baltimore newspaper in the early 1790s translating a speech given by Toussaint Louverture in the French colony, to official correspondence between various British, American, and French captains, generals and Citoyens, respectively, this collection helped me begin to establish some important transatlantic links between Saint-Domingue, the British Empire, and the United States. Although my project does not deal directly with masonry, I was impressed by the amount of documents pertaining to masonic lodges/societies in late colonial and early-modern Haiti, which could be of particular interest to scholars.

I was also very intrigued by some documents in the Kurt Fisher Haitian Collection, which included petitions for pensions by former military members of Toussaint Louverture’s forces early in the revolution. These requests provide interesting insight into the life of soldiers early in the insurrection and are both in original French and English translations, which makes them fairly easy to navigate. Even though these types of petitions can be found in other repositories, it is an advantage to be able to have English translations of them on hand. Another important collection is the Joseph Boromé Papers. Boromé provides a very detailed database of primary source material from around the world pertaining to Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. He is careful to provide short English translations of documents, whether they be in their original Spanish or French, and also provides individual summaries of the thousands of documents he outlines. It is quite an impressive collection.

The Melville J. and Frances S. Herskovits Papers is an unorthodox collection for me to research as my work is much more historical than anthropological. Yet, Herskovits’ notes on the Dahomanian and Agbomanian cultures in West Africa provide critical information, not only about West African cosmological beliefs, but also their ideological dispositions. Reading his notes from his trip to West Africa, then analyzing his field notes from his 1934 trip to Haiti and specifically his work on the Voodoo religion has been a very valuable experience. Of course, his focus on African cultural and religious continuities in the Americas is tangible, but it is the almost back-and-forth rhythm that he creates between these two trips that makes this collection special.

My research stay at the Schomburg Center has been very helpful in finding documentation that I hope to be able to use in my dissertation project. The staff, personnel, archivists, and curators at the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division work with the utmost professionalism, and they are always available for questions. They run an extremely efficient reading room. Their work does not go unnoticed and is extremely appreciated. 

Una lista selectiva de temas nuevos y variados de salud y autoayuda para ayudar a mantener la vitalidad y mantenerse fresco todo el verano ¡Tenga su libro a mano! Oprime aquí para obtener una copia de la lista para adultos en formato PDF.

Apodérate de tu cuerpo 

Lea Kaufman.

“Una guía de 4 semanas para vivir feliz en tí mismo.”

Auto hipnosis para una vida mejor 

William W. Hewitt

Enseña técnicas de relajación para ser aplicada individualmente sin límite de sesiones.

Cosmética natura  

Shannon Buck

“200 trucos y recetas caseras parra estar más guapa.”

La cura para la fatiga 

Roked Sohère

“Descubre cómo combatir la fatiga y recuperar la vitalidad.”

Detox cósmica 

Mantak Chia

“Un enfoque taoísta para la purificación interna.”

El intestino feliz.

Justin Sonnenburg

"C̤ómo controlar el peso, el estado de ánimo y la salud a largo plazo.”

Jugosa y fit 

Claudia Molina (Maria Claudia)

“El verdadero secreto de los jugos y ejercicios para tener un cuerpazo.”

El mito del colesterol 

P. (Philippe) Even

“La verdad sobre el colesterol y las estatinas está ya saliendo a la luz.”

El poder del yo soy 

Joel Osteen

“Dos palabras que cambiarán su vida hoy.”

Recuperarse para vivir  

Christopher Kennedy Lawford

 “Cómo eliminar cualquier hábito nocivo y dominar cualquier adicción.”

El secreto de la vida : a base de plantas 

Robi Draco Rosa

El reconocido cantante de rock, Draco Rosa, y su nutricionista, Nena Niessen, comparten varias recetas nutricionales a base de plantas que ayudan a prevenir y luchar contra el cáncer y otras  enfermedades.

El secreto del bambú: una fábula 

Ismael Cala

El renombrado autor cuenta una obra de ficción sobre un secreto que un padre guarda en una vara de bambú y las lecciones que sus hijos aprenden.

Super alimentos: el top ten de la naturaleza 

Myrna Chandler Goldstein

Una serie de alimentos recomendados científicamente para ayudar a mejorar la salud, prevenir enfermedades y reforzar el sistema inmunológico. 

Oprime aquí para obtener una copia de la lista para adultos en formato PDF. Algunas de las obras también pueden estar disponibles en diferentes formatos. Para más información, sírvase comunicarse con el bibliotecario de su biblioteca local. Los amantes de la lectura y escritura podrían además disfrutar del Programa de Lectura de Verano y del club de libros latinos de lectura ReadLatinoLit de las Comadres y Compadres (en Inglés y Español). Para información sobre eventos, favor de visitar: Eventos en Español. Más Blog en Español. Síganos por ¡Twitter! 

The Participatory Budgeting Project, Inc. (PBP), a non-profit organization based in New York City and Oakland, is seeking part-time interns for Fall 2016. Our mission is to empower people to decide together how to spend public money. PBP works with elected officials, government agencies, and community groups in the US and Canada to set up participatory budgeting (PB) processes that give local people real power over taxpayer money. Through our work in cities such as New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Vallejo (CA), has engaged over 200,000 people and 500 organizations in deciding how to spend $170 million.

The internship is ideal for individuals interested in exploring the potential of participatory democracy and gaining experience in the internal operations of a growing nonprofit while furthering their skills in research and statistics / data analysis.  The position(s) will be based in our Brooklyn, NY location.

Interns may be current or recently graduated students in any relevant degree-or certificate-granting program (2-year or 4-year college,  graduate level), or professionals in transition (of any educational level) who are looking to develop new skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare content for PB educational materials, including info sheets, facilitation materials, participant guides, powerpoint presentations
• Attend and assist with PB meetings, including working with elected officials and staff, community groups and community residents
• Aid in community outreach and engagement efforts for local PB processes
• Design and maintain program impact databases
• Research and catalogue tech tools to improve organizational and PB processes

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong interest in social justice and participatory democracy
• Project coordination experience (in or out of the classroom, including volunteer and extracurricular activities)
• Graphic design skills strongly preferred (please include link to work samples if applicable)
• Data management and analysis skills preferred (please list applicable coursework or experience in your cover letter)
• Strong writing and interpersonal skills; ability write for a non-technical audience
• Ability to translate materials into languages other than English (especially Spanish) a plus
• Ability to work independently and be detail-oriented

Apply:

Send a letter of interest, resume, and work sample (e.g. a brochure, flyer, powerpoint presentation, info sheet, website or 2-3 page report/paper excerpt as appropriate) to jobs@participatorybudgeting.org by August 22. Please indicate in the subject line Fall 2016 Programs Internship . Early applications are encouraged -- applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis.

Application deadline August 22, 2016

PBP is an Equal Opportunity Employer, strongly committed to building a staff that represents the diversity of communities, Interns will receive a stipend of $500/month.  For more information, visit www.participatorybudgeting.org

It’s almost impossible to recreate the kind of world-building that J. K. Rowling achieved in her legendary Harry Potter series—which is why Harry Potter readalikes are the holy grail of book recommendations.

Similar books need to contain magic, of course, but they also need to embrace the idea of finding your tribe or your house or your people; the connection to characters through time, as they grow and change; and the sense that magic and wonder might be at work in our ordinary Muggle world.

The Cursed Child, which was released last weekend, is the closest thing to a new Harry Potter book since 2007… but it might not quite scratch that Harry Potter itch. It’s a play set in the future, based on Rowling’s work but written by a different author—and it’s only a few hours of reading time. It  reignited our desire to go back and live, for just a little while, in the Harry Potter Universe once again.  

So, while acknowledging that Harry Potter readalikes are our white whale, here are a few suggestions for books with some of the things we love about Harry Potter.

For kids:

The Chronos Chronicles by Anne Ursu, starting with The Shadow Thieves
Charlotte Mielswetzski has to save the world—the underworld of Greek mythology as well as the regular one—in this fun and funny middle-grade series.

The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, starting with The Amulet of Samarkand
Nathaniel is more like Draco Malfoy than Harry Potter—but his djinn, Bartimaeus, isn’t like any magical creature you’ve ever met.

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Ann Schlitz
A Victorian-era story of magical puppets, orphans and wizards, good and evil.

The Fairyland series by Cathrynne Valente, starting with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
At six volumes and counting, this series begins with the Green Wind (wearing a green jacket) appearing at the kitchen window of 12-year-old September and takes readers on her adventure to Fairyland.  

Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The family dynamics and sense of history in this three-book series remind us a bit of Harry Potter, while adding the perks of  cool old photos and a talking dog.

The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, starting with The Lightning Thief
The ultimate middle-grade Greek mythology saga, rife with complex family dynamics and packed with action.

For teens:

Carry Onby Rainbow Rowell
No Harry Potter readalike list could ignore this one. The magical world depends on Simon Snow defeating a terrifying threatening force, but Simon’s magic is unpredictable, his mentor is unstable, and his roommate is a vampire who happens to be in love with him.

The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray, starting with A Great and Terrible Beauty
A historical spin on the magical world, set in a boarding school in Victorian England and populated by all manner of spirits and powerful heroines.

The Lie Treeby Frances Hardinge
Faith’s world starts off just like our normal Muggle world, but after her family moves to a remote island and she finds a tree that produces fruit when she whispers a lie to it, the layers of reality begin to peel away.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring
The sense of finding your tribe—not to mention embarking on a great quest—is strong in this classic fantasy series.

The Stars Never Riseby Rachel Vincent
Things get very dark for 16-year-old Nina after she discovers that the Church controlling her whole world is ruled by magical demons.

For adults:

The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman, starting with The Magicians
It’s not exactly Hogwarts, but the secret boarding school where Quentin finds himself at the beginning of this trilogy becomes the gateway to a new magical existence.

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magicby Emily Croy Barker
In this modern-day fairy tale set in a parallel universe, Nora Fischer flees her regular life as a grad student and enters into a world of spells and secrets.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Find a new tribe of British magicians who populate this hypnotic novel, which blends fantasy and magic with a compelling alternative history.

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, starting with The Name of the Wind
Another magical school here—but a much darker one, with a complex hero/anti-hero at the center of the story.  

The Witches trilogy by Deborah Harkness, starting with A Discovery of Witches
This series focuses on the last woman in a line of powerful witches. Diana is trying to reject her family’s magic; instead, she finds herself pulled deeper into its world after she finds a valuable book in the Bodleian Library that all sorts of creatures are dying to get.

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

Whew! We’ve certainly had a run of classic New York City summer weather these past weeks. Does the weather affect your reading habits? At our last Open Book Night at Mid-Manhattan Library, we asked readers to share a quintessential summer in the city book, a book that evokes summer in New York or another city or a book that helps them survive summer in the city. We got recommendations for some heavy and absorbing reading as well as lighter fare, which we’ll share here. Do you have any favorite summer in the city reads? Tell us about them in the comments section below.

And this month we'd love to know all about your favorite international authors! Please join us for Open Book Nighttomorrow  evening at 6  and swap world literature recomendations with other readers. Open Book Night meets on the second Friday of the month at Mid-Manhattan Library. We hope you'll come talk about books with us!

Fiction

Melissa chose a book set in New York, Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Letham. She enjoyed the way the protagonist, Lionel, who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome, plays with language in this highly original take on the classic detective novel.

We stayed in New York with our next recommendation, and the Christmas setting might offer a mental respite from summer heat. Cecil enjoyed the story, the characters,  and the New York setting in Mary Higgins Clark’s All Through the Night, a light-hearted mystery involving a baby abandoned on the steps of a rectory and a valuable chalice gone missing. For entertaining summer reading, Cecil also recommends the romantic suspense of Danielle Steel’s Undercover, set largely in Paris.

Inspirational historical fiction was our next reader’s choice. In Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke, a frontier teacher visits 1920’s New York with her family during summer vacation. This is the second novel in the Return to the Canadian West series, and our reader couldn't wait to read the next one, Where Hope Prevails, released this month.

Summer in the city makes me think of Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, which offers a portrait of San Francisco life in the 1970s. The book opens with Mary Ann Singleton, a secretary from Cleveland, deciding to turn her week’s vacation in San Francisco into a permanent stay. She has the good fortune to find an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, a building owned by Mrs. Madrigal, and the fun begins. There is a wisdom and a celebration of humanity at the core of this series of seemingly light-hearted books that keeps me coming back to visit.

Nonfiction

The passing in early July of Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel called to mind one of our reader’s favorite books, Night. She remembered reading Wiesel’s powerful autobiographical portrait of a teenage survivor of Nazi concentration camps in one sitting. She highly recommended reading or re-reading Night at any time, not just the summer.

Another young reader was inspired byBreaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard (2010) by Liz Murray. He said that reading about how this young woman, neglected by drug-addicted parents and living on the streets, persevered to complete high school and ultimately attend Harvard, could only “get you motivated.”

Our next reader offered a book on engineering for engineers and non-engineers alike.He explained that The Existential Pleasures of Engineering by Samuel C. Florman, published in 1976, conveys the real satisfaction people derive from building things, and also looks at the portrayal of engineering in the arts and sciences.

Summer means summer school for some teachers, and our next reader recommended Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire(2007), in which award-winning teacher Rafe Esquith describes the methods and activities he uses in his 5th grade classroom in Central Los Angeles. She noted that while the book offers inspiring suggestions for teachers, as with any guide to successful teaching, it all boils down to having enough time to adequately prepare.

Another recommendation for unputdownable nonfiction was Unbroken(2010) by Laura Hillenbrand. Our reader was riveted by this story of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic athlete who survived harsh internment in a Japanese prison camp during World War II and worked to heal the rift between the United States and Japan as he healed himself.

Thank you to all the readers who joined us at Open Book Night, those who recommended books and those who preferred to listen to the recommendations of fellow readers! If you love to talk about books, we hope to see you soon at one of our Open Book Nights. In the meantime, happy reading!

Upcoming Open Book Nights

• August 12, 2016 - World Literature
• September 9, 2016 - Game Changers
• October 14, 2016 - Horrifying Tales

Past Open Book Nights

Click to see the list of books discussed.

• February 13, 2015 - Love
• April 10, 2015 - New Beginnings
• May 8, 2015 - Nature
• June 12, 2015 - Sports
• June 26, 2015 - Open theme
• July 10, 2015 - Open theme
• August 14, 2015 - Travel
• September 11, 2015 - New York
• October 9, 2015 - The Occult
• November 13, 2015 - Thanksgiving
• December 11, 2015 - Food and cooking
• January 9, 2016 - In With the New!
• February 25, 2016 - Love Makes the World Go 'Round
• March 11, 2016 - Women in Print
• April 8, 2016 - Feeling Healthy
• May 13, 2016 - The Natural World
• June 10, 2016 - Escapism

My love and passion for cooking has always been ingrained in my family from a very early age. After moving from the Dominican Republic to New York City, the melting pot of the US, my mother always made the effort to introduce me to new cultures, traditions, and food from all parts of the world. Since growing up in this city, the convenience to travel through public transportation made it accessible to travel through the boroughs and do our own culinary tours.

Mi pasión por la cocina siempre fue arraigada en mi familia desde una temprana edad.  Después de emigrar de la República Dominicana hasta Nueva York mi madre siempre hizo el esfuerzo de introducirme a diferentes culturas, tradiciones, y comidas descendientes de  diferentes partes del mundo. La facilidad de tener acceso a transportación pública, hizo posible el recorrido de visitar los diferentes condados de la ciudad y hacer nuestro propios tours de comida.

Through my teenage years growing up in this city to now as an adult, I developed a taste for good food and cooking.  

Durante mi etapa de adolescencia y hasta ahora le tengo una gran admiración al arte culinario y la buena comida. 

Since this city has so many restaurants, food fairs, and food trucks to offer, it has helped me to taste the different spices, seasonings, and flavors that go with the different cuisine styles from other parts of the world.  Therefore, my inspiration for cooking has grown immensely. I always enjoy recreating my favorite dishes.

Al estar expuesta  a una abundancia de restaurantes, festivales internacionales y nacionales de comida y camiones de comida me han facilitado a descubrir las diferentes especies, sazones, y sabores por los cuales me inspiran a recrear diferente recetas en la cocina.  

As a native of the Dominican Republic, Dominican food will always be my favorite cuisine. And being exposed to other cultures has positively inspired me to update my everyday dishes from back home.

Al ser de la República Dominicana, la cocina Dominicana siempre será mi favorita. No obstante, al estar expuesta a otras cocinas me han dado gran inspiración en recrearlas.

Looking through the NYPL cookbooks section has inspired me to look for great recipes.  Therefore, I came up with my favorite 10 cooking books that include recipes that I have added to my repertoire.

La biblioteca de la ciudad de Nueva York tiene una sección de libros de cocina muy fascinantes. Dichos libros me han inspirado y me han ayudado a recrear 10 de mis recetas favoritas de diferentes países.

Recipes | Recetas

Mexican Food – Comida Mexicana

Mexico: the Cookbook / Margarita Carrillo Arronte
Recipe: Enchiladas suizas
Receta: Enchiladas suizas

Cuban Food – Comida Cubana

La cocina cubana de Vero / Verónica Cervera
Recipe: Cod fish croquettes 
Receta: Croquetas de bacalao

Brazilian Food – Comida Brasileira

The Brazilian kitchen: 100 Classic and Contemporary recipes for the home cook / Leticia Moreinos Schwartz. Photography by Ben Fink
Recipe: Toasted manioc flour with eggs and scallions
Receta: Farofa de yuca con huevos y cebolla verde

Indonesian Food – Comida de Indonesia

Lucky rice: Stories and Recipes from Night Markets, Feasts, and Family Tables / Danielle Chang photographs by Christina Holmes
Recipe: Indonesian fried rice
Receta: Arroz frito al estilo Indonesio

Chinese Food – Comida China

Whole World Vegetarian / Marie Simmons. Photography by Teri Lynn Fisher and Jenny Park
Recipe: Spicy stir-fried tofu with oyster mushrooms, red pepper, and bok choy
Receta: Salteado picante tofu con setas de ostra, pimiento rojo y bok choy

Latin-Caribbean Food – Comida del Caribe/ Latina

Latin grilling: Recipes to Share, from Patagonian Asado to Yucatecan Barbecue and more / Lourdes Castro. Photography by Tara Donne
Recipe: Sugarcane skewered shrimp with coconut-lime Glaze
Receta: Pinchos de caña de azúcar con camarones y glaseados con limón y coco.

Peruvian Food – Comida Peruana

The everything Peruvian cookbook/ Morena Cuadra and Morena Escardó
Recipe: Fried seafood mini empanadas
Receta: Empanadas de mariscos

Italian Food – Comida Italiana

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from our Italian kitchen / Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes. Photographs by Steven Rothfeld
Recipe: Orecchiette with shrimp
Receta: Orecchiette con camarones

Thai Food – Comida Tailandesa

Hot Thai Kitchen: Demystifying Thai Cuisine with Authentic Recipes to Make-at-Home / Pailin Chongchitnant
Recipe: Pad Thai
Receta: Pad Thai

Portuguese Food – Comida Portuguesa

Helena's Portuguese Kitchen: 80 Simple & Sunny Recipes / Helena Loureiro
Recipe: Paella with squid ink rice
Receta: Paella de arroz negro

Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Any favorite cookbooks? I invite you to explore NYC and all the wonderful international food available in each of our neighborhoods. Remember you can get started at the library with some of these cookbooks.

¿Tienes alguna receta favorita que le gustaría compartir? ¿Algún libro de cocina favorito? Los invito a explorar la ciudad de Nueva York y la maravillosa comida internacional disponible en cada uno de nuestros barrios. Y recuerde que puede empezar visitando su biblioteca más cercana con alguno de estos libros.

 Featuring contributions by Adriana Blancarte-Hayward.

Not all kids shows offer much for parents who are forced to endure them to get a half hour off.  But every so often you come across something with crossover appeal. The term “crossover” originally applied to music or musical performers that appeal to different types of audience, but it has grown wider in its application and is now used to talk about other types of media.

In particular, I am thinking about two animated TV series: Adventure Time and Steven Universe. These shows appeal to kids 6 and up — and their parents too.  Adventure Time is a comedy, fantasy, adventure mash-up that follows two heroes, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human, doing battle in the post-apocalyptic “Land of Ooo.”  Rebecca Sugar, an Adventure Time alumna, also created Steven Universe, an animated sci-fi adventure series. The protagonist is a little boy named Steven, half-Gem and half-human, learning to use his powers under the guidance of The Crystal Gems, a team of magical beings who defend the Earth and their home, Beach City, from nefarious threats is.  

The music in these shows is delightful for kids and adults.  Just take the theme song from Steven Universe and the wonderful “Making Bacon Pancakes” from Adventure Time. Plus, both Adventure Time and Steven Universe have been adapted to graphic novel form. When kids have burned through them, there are many other books in this vein featuring magic,  adventure, and a style that will appeal to fans.

Hilo: Saving the Whole Wide World by Judd Winick

More science fiction adventure as Hilo and his posse defend the world from monsters from another dimension.

Red’s Planetby Eddie Pittman

10-year-old Red is mistakenly taken aboard a UFO that subsequently crashes, marooning her on a deserted planet with a band of misfit aliens.

Zita the Spacegirl. Book One, Far From Home by Ben Hatke

Zita must travel from planet to planet to rescue her abducted best friend.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostril Chronicleby Dana Simpson

Magic is applied to typical childhood burdens like bullies and piano lessons, as well as some less common ones like magic hair and candy breathing dragons. This book is the first in a series.  A warning or endorsement: it is very pink and sparkly.

Bee and Puppycat. Volume One by Natasha Allegri

Bee, a girl, and her roommate and partner, Puppycat (just what it sounds like) travel through space and time picking up temp work to pay the rent and buy food.

Lumberjanes. Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Five girls, Mal, Ripley, Molly, April, and Jo, spend the summer at a scout camp among strange creatures and supernatural phenomena.

Help Us! Great Warriorby Madeleine Flores

Nash, a tiny warrior girl, possesses great power and great confidence — and uses it to defend her village from villains.

During the week, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. On Fridays, though, we suggest kicking back to catch up on all the delightful literary reading the internet has to offer. Don’t have the time to hunt for good reads? Never fear. We’ve rounded up the best bookish reading of the week for you.

We Read...

Good news: Book illustrators may be a part of your commute if you take the NYC subway, and scientists have found readers live longer. On the flip side, "What happens when someone dies? You eat some food. You hear some poems," new Schomburg director and poet extraordinaire Kevin Young tells Prune owner and chef Gabrielle Hamilton.  We recommended self-help books to The Suicide Squad superbaddies; maybe they could use these hyper-precise, hyper-unique emotion words. By the way, what's the word for suffering in books and movies? Or the feeling of looking at cats librarians love? There's another great love affair we're obsessing over. It's that between science and poetry, and we think it will last as long as the reign of the period. Meanwhile,  the slave narrative is being rewritten brilliantly by the likes of Colson Whitehead.  Oh, and psst!: everything you need for #NationalBookLoversDay is here.

Stereogranimator Friday Feels:

GIF made with the NYPL Labs Stereogranimator

TGIF:

No need to get up! Join our librarians from the home, office, playground — wherever you have internet access — for book recs on Twitter by following our handle @NYPLrecommends from 10 AM to 11 AM every Friday. Or, you can check NYPL Recommends any day of the week for more suggestions.
 

Beautiful day in the neighborhood...who needs a new book? Tell us one you like & we'll suggest another. #fridayreadspic.twitter.com/FHMTcRtR76— NYPL Recommends (@NYPLRecommends) August 5, 2016

@kkc212 Awesome! Can't resist suggesting Ann Patchett's BEL CANTO -- another opera-related page-turner. #FridayReads

— NYPL Recommends (@NYPLRecommends) August 5, 2016

What did you read?

If you read something fantastic this week, share with our community of readers in the comment section below.

Though J.K. Rowling announced with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Childthat this would be the last she would write of Harry Potter, I take solace in her words from the premiere of the final Harry Potter film: “Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” In the spirit of revisiting the magical world of Hogwarts, where I learned so many valuable lessons growing up and continue to find that feeling of home upon re-reading, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite inspiring quotes from the Harry Potter series. And, believe it or not, they don’t all come from Albus Dumbledore.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” - Albus Dumbledore, The Sorcerer’s Stone

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – Albus Dumbledore, The Chamber of Secrets

“Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.” - Arthur Weasley, The Chamber of Secrets

“You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?” - Albus Dumbledore, The Prisoner of Azkaban

“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” –  Albus Dumbledore, The Goblet of Fire

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” – Sirius Black, The Goblet of Fire

“I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” –  Rubeus Hagrid, The Goblet of Fire

“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” –  Sirius Black, The Order of the Phoenix

“The thing about growing up with Fred and George is that you sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – Ginny Weasley, The Half-Blood Prince

“We are all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.” – Kingsley Shacklebolt, The Deathly Hallows

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?” – Albus Dumbledore, The Deathly Hallows

What are your favorite quotes from the series? Comment below!

U.S. Census Bureau - Ongoing Recruitment on Monday August 15, 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.

Speedway LLC will present a recruitment on Tuesday, August  16, 2016, 10 am - 3 pm for Assistant Manger (Co-Mgr. 5 Retail openings),  Customer Service Rep- Retail Sales (5 openings),  District Manager Trainee -Retail Sales (5 openings), Team Lead (Shift Leader Trainee) - Retail Sales (5 openings).  By appointment  only at Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center, 400 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458.  Speedway operates a chain of combination gas stations and convenience stores throughout the five boroughs.

LAZ Parking will present a recruitment on Wednesday,  August 17, 2016, 10 am - 1 pm, for Valet Attendant (10 openings), by appointment only at Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Basic Resume Writing  workshop on Thursday, August 18, 2016, 1:30 - 3 pm at Brooklyn Workforce 1 Career Center, 250 Schermerhorn  Street,  Brooklyn, NY 11201.   Participants will learn the purpose of a resume, chronological and combination resumes and select the appropriate type for their specific needs.

Though kids are out running around in the summer weather, splashing in pools and oceans, the days are long and it is tough to convince them it is bedtime when it is still light outside. It’s no accident that Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach sold millions. (Do not read to your child.)

For my money though, the great green room in Goodnight Moon is the most soothing place ever imagined. The story, of course, is a simple one about a bunny who is trying to postpone bedtime. The first half of the book introduces us to the great green room and all its objects: the telephone and the red balloon, the kittens and mittens, the comb and brush. In the second half we bid goodnight to all the objects starting with “goodnight room.”  It is not all repetition though; for example, there is the wonderful little gem of surprise: “goodnight nobody, goodnight mush.” Margaret Wise Brown gets it all right: the palate, the calm, and the rhythm.

Here are five more bedtime books that capture winding down, getting those little eyes to close and little ones to drift off to sleep.

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendack

The story follows Mickey as he floats through the story in a dream that takes place in a baker’s kitchen.

Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

The nearly wordless tale of a naughty monkey releasing the zoo animals just as the Zookeeper bids them goodnight. Just enough comedy to keep interest, but not enough to rile anyone up.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker

If you have a truck lover, this is the book for you. It includes a crane truck, cement mixer, bulldozer, and an excavator.

The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

Every animal you can imagine performing his or her unique bedtime ritual and heading off to sleep.

Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book

Though this one is a bit longer, the creatures and their particular sleeping habits are sure to help your child enjoy winding down in bed, and there is plenty of yawing to induce the inevitable.

Some of my favorite YA novels are books that challenge me, that pull my brain in different directions, and make me think, “What the hell just happened?”. Sometimes, it’s because the narrators are choosing not to tell us the whole story, or because for some reason they can’t tell us the whole story. Sometimes, it’s because the author writes the story in such a way that it takes readers a while to figure out what’s going on. Here are thirteen YA novels that will take your brain in unexpected directions!

Placebo Junkies by JC Carleson

Audie is part of a group of young people who volunteer again and again for pharmaceutical trials and medical procedures. They don’t have “real” jobs, but instead go from place to place signing up for as many procedures as possible to make enough money to get by. We suspect that Audie is an unreliable narrator, but we don’t know how unreliable, or if she knows it herself, or if she would admit it if she did know. It’s a dangerous world in which most of the characters regularly ingest medications that have potentially fatal side effects, and it makes for a compelling story.

With Malice by Eileen Cook

Jill wakes up feeling disoriented, and she wonders if she drank too much the night before. Soon she realizes that she’s in a hospital bed, and that something terrible must have happened. She gradually discovers that she was in a car accident and that she’s suffering from memory loss that covers the last six weeks of her life —including her trip to Italy, where the accident occurred! What follows is a page-turner that will keep readers wondering. Did Jill let a man come between her and her best friend? Did she have an affair? Did she crash the car on purpose?

Oblivion by Sasha Dawn

Callie has information trapped in her head about what really happened a year ago when her father and one of his parishioners disappeared. The only problem is that she can’t remember it. Wow, talk about an unreliable narrator! We follow Callie back and forth in and out of blackouts, fugue-like writing states, and her own sanity. She is wrapped in layers of misinformation and fractured memories, and as the novel progresses we start to unwrap those layers, slowly at first and then faster and faster. This is a suspenseful story that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Fell of Dark by Patrick Downes

This story is told from the POV of two teenage boys, Erik and Thorn, who are living in what I’ll call an augmented reality. Real things — growing up, coping with family problems, going to school are happening — but then weird things are happening too like voices, visions, things that make no sense. Since each part of the story is told through one of these boys’ points of view, we the readers start wondering, okay, is this kid crazy? Is that kid crazy? Did that really happen? Did that really happen? The usual questions run through your head when dealing with an unreliable narrator, but the further you go, the more you start to feel that maybe reality itself is unreliable.

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Two girls find a bat that they think is just sleeping but then appears to be dead. They put the bat in a jar, the remains of the bat get pulverized, and then they pour liquid over the remains of the bat and drink it, which gives them the ability to look at other people and see into the past and future of their bloodlines. And then the story gets weirder from there.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book starts off slowly, with a premise that might make readers wonder for a few pages, "Why am I reading this book about rich kids on their summer vacation?" before realizing that everything is not quite what it seems. Cadence is an unreliable narrator, although readers won't realize just how unreliable until they reach the powerful ending of this book. This is an excellent novel that will reward readers as Cadence's shattered memories are slowly pieced together until they, and she, are finally made whole again.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Roza disappeared months ago, and nobody knows what happened to her. Her friend Finn was the last one to see her, and he knows that she left with a man, but he can’t identify the man who took her. That’s because he has a rare condition that prevents him from distinguishing between faces. When the book opens, Roza is already gone and Finn, who has always been a weird outsider, is now treated like a pariah and beaten up by local bullies on a regular basis. When the action cuts to Roza’s point of view as she tries to figure out how to escape her captor, we become even more invested in the story and in Finn because we know that he was telling the truth all along and there’s still hope that Roza might be saved.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Caden Bosch is the artist-in-residence on a ship that’s going to the Marianas Trench, the deepest point on Earth. He is also a high school student who has been behaving erratically lately. Which of these realities is the “real” reality? And can Caden find a safe place, or will he be lost to the depths forever?

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

This story opens with a fantasy premise — the Leteo Institute has the ability to erase someone’s bad memories — and then turns into a mostly realistic fiction story for a while. We become involved in the story of a boy named Aaron and his relationship with the other boys in his tough neighborhood. Except we imagine that something is going to go wrong. This story contains echoes of many other memory-erasing movies and books like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Total Recall, Slated, and The Program. But it also takes a few unexpected twists along the way.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

This is, honestly, one of the strangest YA books I've ever read. I could tell you that it’s the story of a teen who is trying to deal with a giant insect apocalypse, but that’s just a part of what makes this book memorable. This story is really, really dense like in a "there's so much stuff packed into this story that my head might explode" way. And BTW, if you’re looking for other books that will bend your mind, after you finish reading this book be sure to check out more titles by Andrew Smith!

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Violet and Orianna were ballerinas and best friends, until two ballerinas who had been tormenting Violet are murdered and Orianna is convicted of the crime. When Orianna is sent to the juvenile detention center, Amber becomes her cellmate. The story is told from multiple points of view, in and out of chronological order, and while parts of the book read like realistic fiction, there is also a strong fantasy element that pulls the pieces of the story together. Several characters see visions of the past and the future and can even see each other across that chronological divide — or at least it seems that way until the very end of the book, when we finally understand that chronology was not what we thought it was.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

What starts as one kind of story (sensitive teenage girl is depressed because her boyfriend died) turns into quite another (her special English class taught by a special teacher has the power to transform her memories, her mind, and even reality). No matter what you think of this book, you will absolutely remember it after you put it down. This would be a great book to spark discussions with teens or even grownups!

Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

There’s a popular girl named Waverly who feels a lot of pressure trying to keep up the perfect appearance of her life. She feels so stressed out that at night she usually runs instead of sleeping. Marshall is an unpopular boy who doesn’t put any effort into his appearance or his popularity, and he deals with stress by drinking and taking drugs. Then one night when Waverly tries to fall asleep with the help of a scented candle, she finds herself mysteriously transported to be with Marshall. This story is sometimes surreal, sometimes magical, and sometimes bewildering.

Our Best Books for Teens committee has been busy reading and reviewing 2016 titles. Below are a few of their favorite new comics and graphic novels. For more of their 2016 favorites, see YA Fiction Vol. 1, & Vol. 2 and YA Comics & Graphic novels Vol. 1& Vol. 2

Realistic Fiction

Breakfast with Neruda by Laura Moe
It’s 1982 and Michael is living in a station wagon performing his mandatory community service when he meets Shelly.
Character-driven, funny, lyrical

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Charlotte is homeless and cutting herself to feel something other than the pain of her sexual abuse.
Character-driven, emotionally intense

Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana
Tara, an Indian-American, straight A student at a Connecticut prep school is the only person of color. Inexplicably she is pulled into the popular circle. Meanwhile, NASA discovers an alternate Earth and as the mirror planet grows people start to react in unexpected ways. 
Culturally diverse, science fiction

The Haters by Jesse Andrews
Three teens escape from jazz camp for a road trip adventure.
Funny

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
One night in Fort Myers, Florida, six kindergarteners are abducted. Eleven years later, five return.
Multiple perspectives, mystery

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
Set in mid-thirteenth century Provence, Dolssa is condemned in the Inquisition and hunted by a Friar. Botille is a matchmaker trying to protect her sisters from a witch-hunt. When Botille finds Dolssa near death, she feels compelled to protect her.
Historical fiction, magic realism, multiple perspectives, suspenseful

When We Collided by Emery Lord
Seventeen-year-old Jake contends with a depressed mother and a bi-polar girlfriend.
Love stories, multiple perspectives, character-driven, emotionally intense

Dystopian, Paranormal, Magical, and Science Fiction

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
In a future world, “imperfect” people are branded for life and ostracized from society.
Dystopian fiction, science fiction, culturally diverse

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Fifteen-year-old Samantha Mather moves from New York to Salem, Mass. Unfortunately, Sam is related to Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for the Salem witch trials. The descendants of the “witches” are not welcoming.
Paranormal, creepy, intricately plotted

Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff
Waverly is a perfectionist who cannot sleep. One night she manages to drift off and dreams herself into the bedroom of Marshall Holt, a stoner and slacker with a complicated home life.
Magical realism, multiple perspectives, character-driven

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Breezy Lin was murdered and thrown into a shallow grave. Imagine her surprise when she wakes up a year later and claws her way out.
Paranormal, culturally diverse, LGBTQ, suspenseful

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
A romantic retelling of Arabian Knights in which Zahra, the jinni, is released after 500 years imprisonment in a magic lamp.
Historical, fairy tales, romantic

Two Summers by Aimee Friedman
A Sliding Doors story in which Summer spends one summer in Provence with her father and the other upstate with her mother.
Alternate realities, romance

Nonfiction

Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings
Jazz Jennings has been in the public eye since her family agreed to let her transition at a very young age. Here she relays her experiences in a candid and inspiring memoir.
Biography & memoir

The V-Word True Stories About First-time Sex edited by Amber J. Keyser
A collection of essays by women about loosing their virginity.
Essays & short stories

Comics & Graphic Novels

Forget Me Not. 1 by Mag Hsu
Yusuke wakes up in the hospital after a scooter accident caused by the sight of a mysterious woman from his past.
Mystery, romance

I Am a Hero. Omnibus 1 by Kengo Hanazawa
A manga artist, who possesses a rare thing in Japan, a gun, witnesses the beginning of a zombie apocalypse and must fight to save his city.
Horror, zombies

Lumberjanes Vol. 4: Out of Time by Noelle Stevenson & Shannon Watters
A blizzard hits camp and Jen is separated from the girls. When she finds herself in trouble a mysterious stranger swoops in to save her.
Paranormal, adventure

 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!