New On Shelf – December 2023

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due – A Book to watch out for in December This month, Marian Huggins, Mitchell Branch Manager talks about a title she purchased for her branch. One of the latest books purchased for the Mitchell Branch is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I was never truly a horror fan, but the storytelling is … Continued

Our Summer Beach Read Picks!

It’s that season when many begin their annual pilgrimage to local (and distant) beaches and attempt to achieve that summer glow!  What better way to entertain yourself while working on that tan than with a new summer beach read?    Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld Happy Place by Emily Henry The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand … Continued

The Results are in for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards

by Jennifer Gargiulo, Manager, Ives Squared It’s that time of year again, where Goodreads bombards it’s users with requests to vote on the Goodreads Choice Awards. Now, I’m all for book awards…I have even participated in and chaired awards committees. So while I’m not super fond of the way this particular award is selected, in … Continued

Black and white photographs of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova, Alexander Solzhentisyten, Nadezhda and Osip Mandelstam, Maxim Gorky, and Mikhail Bulgakov

Lessons on Social Commentary and Censorship From Russian Literary Classics

Written by Julia Chamberlain In March of 2022, the University of Milano-Bicocca canceled a planned course in Russian literature as an act of protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although the university quickly reversed its decision, the debate alone points to a disquieting comfort with censorship. No one can doubt the sincerity of the … Continued

What is fanfiction and is it worth reading?

By Rose Simpson, Community Technology Librarian Maybe you’ve been in a situation like this before: you just finished a popular young adult novel and you want to read more books like it, but you’ve already read all the similar books the librarians recommend. Or perhaps your favorite series just finished and you’re so excited about … Continued

photo of travel destinations hang on a wire above a beach scene with umbrellas on the sand - text says Armchair travel with your library card!

Armchair Travel is Easy with Your Library Card

by Tristan Evarts, Librarian at the Mitchell Branch “To travel is to set the soul free” While travel is still off the table for many, there’s an easy way to see the world from the comfort of a cozy armchair. While the art of armchair travel may not fully replace the wonder of strolling down … Continued

A selection of banned books

Staff Share Their Favorite Banned Books

It is one of our favorite times of year in libraryland – Banned Books Week (September 26 – October 2)! This upcoming week we celebrate the right to read and talk about the importance of taking a stand against censorship. To kick off the week, we are sharing some reviews from NHFPL staff members on … Continued