10 Great Reasons to Read Fiction in April 2019
Wondering what new novels and story collections are arriving this month? Here are 10 great ones you'll want to get your eyes on.
Spring Fling
Do all these fragrant budding flowers and dewy leaves put you in the mood for love? Read Jasmine Guillory's debut novel, The Wedding Date.
I don't usually go for the mushy stuff, but sometimes it's fun to get down with other people's drama (and delight).
I just finished Jasmine Guillory's debut novel, The Wedding Date, and loved it! I'm fairly genre-agnostic, but even as a librarian, I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of Romance sub-genre's. What makes this book stand out amongst the other "Contemporary Romances" I've encountered is that it's set in the Bay Area, and features diverse characters with real backstories, careers and tastes.
About the book: In The Wedding Date, Alexa Monroe is career-focused, as mayor's chief of staff,
Women Making History
Feminists, activists, mothers and more.
In honor of Women's History Month here are some inspiring new(ish) titles and recent re-issues of older titles highlighting women's accomplishments, concerns, and struggles. Although March is Women's History month, these are great books to read any time!
Richard Powers: The Overstory is just the latest story
Attracted to this novel by its subject (trees), I discover the famous author Richard Powers.The Overstory is his latest in a long and illustrious career going back to the 1980’s.
Richard Powers: The Overstory is just the latest story
I am reading The Overstory by Richard Powers. My favorite genres have always been anything weird: magical realism, science fiction and fantasy, alternative history and the ever popular post-apocalypse novel. I was attracted to this book because it seemed to verge on the magical. And it was about trees.
“A novel of activism and natural-world power presents interlocking fables about nine remarkable strangers who are summoned in different ways
Clubs for Book Lovers at OPL
Have you ever thought about joining a book club?
Oakland Public Library currently hosts a number of different book clubs. If you'd like to join in, here's some information to get you started.
Rockridge Branch has a book club meeting on the second Saturday of every month at 3PM. Upcoming books will be Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi on March 9 and
10 Great Reasons to Read Fiction in March 2019
Calling all fiction lovers! Here come the new books for March!
Labor Movements in the United States
Work stoppages and labor strikes in the United States have increased during the past ten years. Learn more about the history of labor movements.
How common are labor strikes in the United States? The numbers are growing. According to the Department of Labor Statistics, in 2018 there were 20 major work stoppages, the most since 2007 and the number of workers involved in these work stoppages was the highest since 1986. Last month teachers in Los Angeles went on strike and teachers in West Virginia recently ended a two-day strike, their second in less than a year. Currently teachers in the Oakland Unified School District are striking.
You can learn more about the history of labor movements, strikes and work stoppages in the U.S. from these books available at OPL.
There There by Tommy Orange: A Review
Book Review. In There There, gifted author Tommy Orange dances with the book’s main question: what does it mean to be an "Urban Native"?
There There by Tommy Orange: A Review
Like an unfinished puzzle, There There made me want to start it over again immediately after finishing.
Protagonists abound; one voice per chapter, characters and families that seem at first unrelated, united only by living in Oakland and by their Native American roots. Connections are revealed like excavations only partially uncovered, with the
50 Award-Winning Works of Fiction by Black Authors
A non-exhaustive list of award-winning novels and story collections by authors of African descent from around the world.
If your favorite isn’t included in this list, please include it in the comments! Descriptions in italics provided by the publishers.
2019 ALA Youth Media Award-Winning Books at Your Library
Last week, The ALA Youth Media Awards were announced at the ALA-Midwinter meeting in Seattle. We put together a list with links to our catalog for easy access to these winning and critically-acclaimed titles with your library card!
Love children and young adult books? Know young people, educators, parents, and caregivers who would appreciate a good read for themselves or those they care for?
Here's the list of the 2019 ALA Youth Media award-winners and finalists for your reading pleasure:
Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
Winner:
Merci Suárez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina
Honor:
- The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani