Forgotten Favorites at the Library | Alissa Wolenetz, Library Director

I love books.

I really, really love books.

I really, really, really love books that no one else loves. For years, I have wandered libraries in search of those books on the highest and lowest and most hidden shelves, the ones that gather shawls of dust, glue cracking, spines sagging, covers fading — the books that no one checks out at all.

That happens here at the Library. We order a book we think you all will love — the reviews are great, the cover is brilliant, the subject matter is fascinating — and then it sits on the shelf. Sadly. Alone. Forever.

So today, I am pleased to present a list of Library books that I think don’t get the attention they deserve. Please come in and check them out. I’ll be happy. They’ll be happy. The Library ghosts will be happy. Hopefully, you’ll be happy, too.

Here’s the list:

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” by Tom Stoppard. A short play for anyone who enjoys Shakespeare, absurdity, or coin tosses.

“The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro (Large Type). If you’re curious about how memory works and also happen to be a mystery or fantasy reader, you should definitely give this one a try.

“The Stone Sky” by N. K. Jemisin. This science-fiction novel, winner of the 2016 Hugo Award, has some of the most engaging world building I’ve ever encountered.

“SPY X FAMILY: Volume One” by Tatsuya Endo. If you’re a fan of anime, manga, or cold-war-esque found-family dramas, you’ll find this comic hard to put down.

“The Vanishing Velazquez: A 19th-Century Bookseller’s Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece” by Laura Cumming. If you enjoy mysteries and art and irrational loves, this will probably be your cup of tea.

“The Swerve: How the World Became Modern” by Stephen Greenblatt. Written by a Harvard professor for a general audience, this book is an entertaining and accessible overview of the Renaissance.

“No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters” by Ursula K. Le Guin. A quirky, thought-provoking collection of essays about aging and cats by one of the great sci-fi/fantasy authors of our time.

I’ll stop here. But feel free to drop by and ask us for more of our hidden favorites anytime.

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