You might guess from the book groups we run at Remnant and Aeronaut Brewing that we are fond of hops, and you would be right! But would you have guessed that New England was once the center of hops production in the U.S., and that a Ten Hills resident revolutionized the processing of harvested hops?
Samuel Jaques, an avid plant and livestock breeder known for his luscious peach variety (Jaques Admirable) and dairy cattle breed (Jaques Cream Pot, famous for its rich milk) bought the... Read Post
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
This title is available in a variety of formats from large print, spoken CD, ebook and digital audiobook.
Need to download the Libby App? check out this page here or ask your librarian by calling 617-623-5000 x2955!
Before the West Branch library got a proper building in 1909, library service in West Somerville (and in East, North and South Somerville) was delivered by partnerships with local businesses, which became the early branches - then usually called agencies - of the SPL. These agencies served as pickup/dropoff points for library books, but for the most part provided no reading rooms or other library services.
In 1896 the library trustees voted to establish an agency for West Somerville... Read Post
April 27-May 4 is Sustainaville Week, the city's annual celebration of the environment and the fight against climate change. You can see a list of local activities and events here. Hannah Payne of the City's Office of Sustainability and Environment kindly put together a list of topical books recommended by Somervillians. Below are some selected titles.
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf
"Andrea Wulf does an incredible job of narrating... Read Post
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
Summary: Bottoming out after a dramatic breakup, doctoral student Lucy accepts her sister's invitation to dog-sit at her home on Venice Beach for the summer, where she meets an eerily attractive swimmer whose Sirenic identity transforms her understanding of what real love looks like.
All Summaries are taken from the Minuteman catalog.
Read the Kirkus Review of this book here.
Available as an... Read Post
I love reading published collections of letters. You get to see people at their frankest and most unguarded moments. And depending on when the letters were written, they provide a window into the past, how what we now call history looked to people as it happened.
Of the many such collections we have in the Minuteman Library Network, here is one of my favorites:
The journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) (left) was an outrageous presence on the American political and... Read Post
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Anne Elliot, daughter of the snobbish, spendthrift Sir Walter Elliot, is a woman of quiet charm and deep feelings. When she was nineteen, she fell in love with-and was engaged to-a naval officer, the fearless and headstrong Captain Wentworth. But the young man had no fortune, and Anne allowed herself to be persuaded, against her profoundest instinct, to give him up.Now, at twenty-seven, and believing that she has lost her bloom, Anne is startled to learn... Read Post
Looking for something to read this Saint Patrick's Day? Try one of the following:
St. Patrick's Day in the Morning
Summary: Jamie seeks a way to prove that he is not too young to march in the big St. Patrick's Day parade.
Fiona's Luck
Summary: A clever woman named Fiona must pass the leprechaun king's tests when she tries to get back all the luck he has locked away from humans.
In the Woods
Summary: Detective Rob Ryan and his partner... Read Post
Another St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and while for some of you that might mean having a Guinness at the Burren and listening to Irish folk music, you might consider passing the time with a good book. I assume you’re all familiar with at least the names of the classic Irish writers such as Swift, Joyce, Shaw and Yeats, so I’m going to focus on contemporary Irish books and authors.
Let’s start with arguably the most important Irish writer of our time: John Banville (left). He won... Read Post
Green Book
When Tony Lip, a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on a book to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger, as well as unexpected humanity and humor, they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
... Read Post
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this book is a must-read: Receiving an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Arthur, a failed novelist on the eve of his fiftieth birthday, embarks on an international journey that finds him falling in love, risking his life, reinventing himself, and making connections with the past.- Summary taken from the Minuteman Catalog.
For more information about the author, check our Greer's website.
Available as a... Read Post
Looking for a Valentine's Day Read? Try the titles below:
Unmarriageable : a novel
"In this retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider. A scandal and vicious rumor in the Binat family have destroyed their fortune and prospects for desirable marriages, but Alys, the second and most practical of the five Binat daughters, has found happiness teaching... Read Post
Ready for the Super Bowl? It's coming, on February 3rd, 2019, the Patriots will play the Los Angeles Rams. Millions of Americans gather around the television on this day to celebrate this de facto holiday. The first Super Bowl took place in 1966, the Game was originally called the AFL-NFL Championship game, if you would like to read more about the history of the Super Bowl, click here!
If your interested in Tom Brady, check out his TB12 book today! Or try Giselle Bundchen's new book,... Read Post
The government of the United States has now been shut down for longer than any other time in the nation's history. What does this mean? For starters, many Federal workers--who often live paycheck to paycheck--don't have an income. A food pantry has been opened on the Boston US Coast Guard Base. Over 400 families came for food during the first 2 days it was open. Government workers and their families are facing hardship as unpaid bills mount. Across the country business are trying to ease the... Read Post
By Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh writes a beautiful memoir about her life growing up in rural Kansas. She speaks to her future child wishing her child will learn from her life experiences and writes what she would have hoped for her child not to have experienced growing up in an area of America where it’s impossible to leave your situation because of socio-economic status.
Smarsh’s grandmother had her mother at 16 and her mother had Sarah at 17. Smarsh tells the heartbreaking... Read Post
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