Off the Shelf is your destination for all things BOOKS. If you’re interested in reading recommendations, author interviews or the literary world's secrets, Brooklyn Public Library's bibliophile staff is at your service.
Author Interview: Elisheba Haqq
Elisheba Haqq is a writing professor at Rutgers University, a registered nurse, and the author of Mamaji, a memoir about the loss of her mother, growing up as part of an immigrant family in Minnesota, and persevering through an abusive childhood. In this interview, she discusses her writing career, explains her research process, and recommends a few of her favorite books. Off the Shelf (Ots): Mamaji is an extremely personal memoir about the loss of your mother, as well as the horrific emotional, physical and financial abuse that you and your older siblings endured. I felt like I was reading…
Read it on the Page, See it For Yourself: What to Read on International Museum Day
Brendan, Project Manager, NYC Culture PassBooks have a unique power to transport us to faraway places both real and imagined—but they can also bring us fresh perspectives on places that are right down the street! In New York City, we’re surrounded by an incredibly diverse collection of collections: museums of all sorts and sizes, filled with everything from modern art and detailed dioramas to abstract sculpture and period furniture. Whatever you find fascinating, there’s likely an exhibit on it tucked away somewhere in the five boroughs. This year, to celebrate International Museum Day, we’ve rounded up eight of our favorite books…
Borrow a Telescope: One Teen's Mission to Share the Stars
Off the Shelf Editorial Staff; Erik BobilinThe Telescope Lending Library launched on a clear night in November 2021, with an outdoor viewing event attended by an enthusiastic mixture of public, library staff and members of the Amateur Astronomy Association (AAA) of New York. Absent from this experience, however, was the eleventh-grade astronomy lover whose plan to lend telescopes as freely as books—evolved over months of proposals and Zoom conferences—was finally coming to fruition. Yui H.’s passion for astronomy began with a different plan, formed at age nine while living in Singapore, after several screenings of…
Poem in Your Pocket: 7 Poems & Their Reverberations
PhilipThe Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. The goal of National Poetry Month is to remind all that in a world awash in text, poetry matters. Every April since, poetry readers and nonreaders alike can’t help but notice poetry cropping up amongst the blooms of spring—poems suddenly adorning sandwich boards and subway cars, Instagram feeds, drivetime radio and especially in local library displays. This year, Off the Shelf invited four lovers of poetry to contribute a post for a Poem in Your Pocket series to gift our readers a new poem for every day of the week.…
PowerUP! to the People
DjazIn 2003, the PowerUP! Business Plan Competition launched to support and grow Brooklyn's entrepreneurial spirit and small businesses. Since then, PowerUP! has nurtured 9,000+individuals with 1,200+business plans and awarded more than $500,000 to Brooklyn entrepreneurs. Some of our most notable success stories are the Bogota Latin Bistro, Greenlight Bookstore and Island Pops. Although the pandemic brought many challenges to Brooklyn neighborhoods, and to our city as a whole, PowerUP! continues to be an exciting presence and program supporting local business startups. …
Poem in Your Pocket: 7 Stages of Grief
Adeeba, Branch ManagerThe Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. The goal of National Poetry Month is to remind all that in a world awash in text, poetry matters. Every April since, poetry readers and nonreaders alike can’t help but notice poetry cropping up amongst the blooms of spring—poems suddenly adorning sandwich boards and subway cars, Instagram feeds, drivetime radio and especially in local library displays. This year, Off the Shelf invited four lovers of poetry to contribute a post for a Poem in Your Pocket series to gift our readers a new poem for every day of the week.…
Poem in Your Pocket: 7 Poems by Women
EmmaThe Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. The goal of National Poetry Month is to remind all that in a world awash in text, poetry matters. Every April since, poetry readers and nonreaders alike can’t help but notice poetry cropping up amongst the blooms of spring—poems suddenly adorning sandwich boards and subway cars, Instagram feeds, drivetime radio and especially in local library displays. This year, Off the Shelf invited four lovers of poetry to contribute a post for a Poem in Your Pocket series to gift our readers a new poem for every day of the week.…
Poem in Your Pocket: 7 Poems for National Poetry Month
BrianThe Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month in April 1996. The goal of National Poetry Month is to remind all that in a world awash in text, poetry matters. Every April since, poetry readers and nonreaders alike can’t help but notice poetry cropping up amongst the blooms of spring—poems suddenly adorning sandwich boards and subway cars, Instagram feeds, drivetime radio and especially in local library displays. This year, Off the Shelf invited four lovers of poetry to contribute a post for a Poem in Your Pocket series to gift our readers a new poem for every day of the week.…
Earth Works: Books, Music, and More for our Planet
DjazIn honor of our March 13 concert with the Orchestra of St. Lukes, "Earthworks", we have put together a list of books and more to get you thinking about the intersection between music, nature, and climate change. Silences So Deep: Music, Solitude, Alaska by John Luther Adams is a meditative memoir about the composer’s time in Alaska, in which he reflects on friendship, music and art, framed by a landscape facing a climate crisis. But you don’t have to travel so far when thinking about the natural world. It can be easy to overlook the vibrancy of urban…
Spotlight: Macon Library, a Classic Carnegie Representing the Bed-Stuy Community
Off the Shelf Editorial StaffMacon Library, located at 361 Lewis Avenue, is one of the best-preserved Carnegie branches in Brooklyn. Opened in 1907, the two-story, Classical Revival-style building retains its original fireplaces, oak paneling, alcoves and wooden benches, along with the warm charm that has welcomed the Bedford-Stuyvesant community for more than one hundred years. With Bedford-Stuyvesant being rich with African American history, BPL staff. local residents and community leaders made the preservation of that history a priority with the Dionne Mack-Harvin Center, Macon Library's African American…
Finding Hope & Recovery Between the Pages
DjazThe past several years have been tough for all of us, whether we found ourselves dealing with the pandemic directly, watched the devastation it caused around the world, or felt its impacts on work, school and our social lives. Every time we have taken a few steps forward, it has frequently felt like several steps back and it’s been hard, I think, for us all to catch our collective breath before there’s something new to worry about. As we inch towards the promise of spring and renewal, here are some books that deal with carving out space to heal, grieve and take care of our minds and bodies…
The Change the Subject Project: Addressing Bias in the Library Catalog
Aimee LustyThe Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is a thesaurus of controlled vocabularies used in subject indexing of bibliographic records by libraries, archives and museums. Subject headings are assigned to items in a library catalog to facilitate users’ search and discovery of resources relating to similar subject matter. In Brooklyn Public Library’s catalog, subject headings are listed as tags under the details tab in the bibliographic record. Users can click the subject heading tags and explore related resources in the library’s collection. Subject headings facilitate access and…
What to Read for Read in the Bathtub Day
VirginiaHistorically, I have not been a bathtub person. I was in fact anti-bath for many years. Apparently, it only takes a global pandemic to make me a bathtub devotée. As with many in the world, these past two years have confined me to my apartment much, much more than I would like. So last winter, desperate to discover a new space in the one-bedroom I share with my now-husband and dog—after first exhausting all other options (e.g. our windowless sub-basement, the bit of floor in front of our radiator), I turned to the once-dismissed fixture taking up half of our bathroom. And oh, how much I was…
Groundhog Day: Books You Can Read Over and Over Again
Jessica; JenniferAh, Groundhog Day. I grew up in Pennsylvania, not far from the home of the notorious Punxsutawney Phil and his yearly weather prediction on February 2. This is a ritual that derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog can see its shadow on February 2, it will retreat back into its burrow and spring won’t arrive for six more weeks. This was a relatively small, obscure rural tradition until the 1993 Bill Murrary movie Groundhog Day, which brought prominence to the event (and party that happens in Phil’s hometown). The film also forever tied the idea of Groundhog Day to…
The Fashion Show that Helped Launch a Movement
MarciaSee the Movie, Read the Book: Christmas Edition
Off the Shelf Editorial StaffChristmas was last week, but that doesn't mean it's over. Just ask any die-hard Hallmark Channel viewer—they've been enjoying holiday flicks since before Daylight Saving Time, and will probably watch more for weeks to come. There's a definite lure to the comfort these movies depict: fireplaces galore, cups of tea and cocoa, fair isle sweaters, hats and scarves (barely worn but ever-present), and true love realized through the magic of Christmas. And guess what? All of that holly-jolly splendor is even better when it takes place in a good book. Grab a candy cane and check out…
Happy Festivus! A Mini Booklist About Families
"I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're gonna hear about it!" So began our introduction to the Festivus, a winter holiday invented by Frank Costanza (Seinfeld, 1989-1998) as an alternative to Christmas. It involves a metal pole intead of a tree, The Airing of Grievances—where you tell everyone gathered why they've pissed you off—and the very exciting Feats of Strength (which is exactly what it sounds like). Since that episode aired, Festivus has become an actual holiday celebrated by many, and I'm not sure if it's a nod to the popularity of Seinfeld or to the fact…
Keep Your NaNoWriMo Momentum Going
EricWe’re coming down the stretch of National Novel Writing Month, best known as NaNoWriMo, in which experienced and first-time writers alike come together with the goal of converting as many ideas as possible from thought to paper before November ends. Whether you managed to get down 400 words or 40,000, congratulations! With Thanksgiving coming near, you might have a mostly-finished story on your hands, or if you’ve been unproductive like me (thank you, writer’s block), maybe a…
In Celebration of Native American/Indigenous Heritage Month
JessiNative American and Alaska Native Heritage Month started out as a week-long celebration as of 1986, during former President Reagan's administration. Since 1995, November has been designated as the month to celebrate and honor the cultures, achievements and contributions of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Below are ten books of varying genres you can read to finish out this month, and all year round. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer: "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science,…
2021 Transgender Day of Remembrance
Djaz"Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence… With so many seeking to erase transgender people—sometimes in the most brutal ways possible—it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice." –TDoR founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith “November 20 marks Trans Day of Remembrance, an annual memorial for our murdered kin. The day gives us space to grieve the siblings—overwhelmingly Black trans women and femmes—who were pushed out of this world too soon. Our rebellious mourning recommits…
Writing Marathon: Craft Books to Inspire You This NaNoWriMo
We’re halfway through my second favorite time of year: I’m not talking about preparing for Thanksgiving or Christmas or even No-Shave November. I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month, or as it is affectionately abbreviated to, NaNoWriMo. Every year, amateur and professional writers alike start November with one goal in mind: write 50,000 in one month. Where does this magic number come from? It is largely accepted that 50,000 words is the minimum required length for most adult novels. To give you a sense of context, here are a few novels that are around the 50,000 word mark: The…
Game On! It's International Games Week at Your Library
JessicaEvery year the American Library Association Games & Gaming Round Table runs International Games Week, an opportunity to celebrate gaming in libraries. Taking place this year from November 7th-13th, libraries can register gaming events they hold during the week to highlight just how much fun and educational gaming takes place inside our spaces. And we do a lot of gaming: from traditional games like chess and bingo to the latest video games, not a week goes by in which BPL staff are not running a gaming session of some sort. Next week we are running more than 20…
A Halloween Tribute to Lois Duncan
Curious about what it was like to grow up a little girl in Brooklyn with an affinity for the macabre, a non-censoring mother and carte blanche use of her library card? Well, let me tell you: her to-be-read pile was filled with copies of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood, volumes of Truly Tasteless Jokes, Judy Blume’s Wifey and countless YA thrillers and horrors. And in the 80s, the YA horror masters were Joan Lowery Nixon, Christopher Pike (Fall into Darkness), Richard Peck (Are You in the House Alone?), and the QUEEN—Lois Duncan (1934 – 2016). Why is Duncan the uncontested…
Plot-Driven Audiobook Thrillers for Long Autumn Road Trips
Off the Shelf Editorial StaffBy Sally Z., a BPL Librarians of Tomorrow (Lot) Intern Stories of true crime have always interested me. Whether it be a part of the daily news sequence or front page on the newspaper, the capitating thrill sequence of mystery and murder seem to capture a variety of audience. When looking at a “BREAKING NEWS” headline, emotions are being rushed in: concern, anger, fear, interest, etc. The unwelcoming setting of a crime scene with black and yellow barricade tape labeled in all bold and capitalized letters “CAUTION”. And endless searches for crucial evidence and conversations with first…
Remembering Charlie Watts: a Stones Primer
Elizabeth; Shea BettsWords & Riddims: A Book (and Play) List to Survive Another Canceled Carnival
Add to the list of things the pandemic has taken from us: the joys of playing mas on the Parkway on Labor Day.
How We Got Here: Readings on New York Politics
MarkAs we wallow in the dog days of summer, the city's political high season is around the corner. This fall, voters will elect a new Mayor and choose almost all of the City Council, as well as other state and local offices. Given the propensity of politicians to promise and boast and cajole us to win our vote, New Yorkers are understandably eager to see beyond the hype. Taking a step back from the specifics of campaigns and candidates, the books below all aim to give a glimpse into how New York City politics really works. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert…
Books to Bring on a Picnic
ThomasThe first time I created a list of Picnic Reads, sharing a blanket with friends and family for a day of eating, drinking, fun and frivolity wasn’t that popular. However, things have changed, and if you're going to hang out with your loved ones, an open space outdoors makes the best sense. I compiled the first list with books centered around food, summer and vacations in mind. Some of those books, alas, are no longer in our collection—something I consider a tragedy! Five years ago, I could not have conceived of a world in which future generations of library users would be deprived…
Catch the Small Press Flea This Saturday!
DjazThis Saturday, August 14th Brooklyn Public Library presents SPF21: Small Press Flea, in collaboration with BOMB Magazine. More than 20 different publishers will join us this year! Small presses are publishers who release a limited number of new titles per year. They often focus on niche subjects and bring local voices to a larger audience. While small presses represent only 20% of the publishing market, they potentially outpace their larger counterparts in creative and thought-provoking content. Ted Dodson, Director of Circulation at BOMB, thinks of small press publishing in…
Celebrate Christmas in Summer!
The east coast is experiencing its last blast of heat this month before slipping into the cooler climate of the fall. For many people, post-Independence Day begins the countdown to Halloween while many others skip straight to Christmas. If you're looking forward to pine trees and twinkling lights decorating your home once again, then take some time to read a few of the Christmas books on this list that will appeal to any reader—from sweet romances and classic stories to fantastical twists on holiday favorites. Many people believe that Christmas did not exist in the way we…
Read My Lipstick
LaCreshaThe time has come to paint that pout again. Secretly glowing in gloss beneath a mask, my ruby rouged lips—a guilty pleasure for the last few months—have been waiting for the moment when I can proudly parade this pucker once more. Primping was out of place for a while, while we collectively embraced a pandemic makeunder, but when what we thought was a day in our pajamas here, no shower there, and a few weeks of turning off the camera on this thing called Zoom turned into sixteen months, undone became the consensus. But now that we’re scaling back the austerity of survival mode…
Essential Cookbooks by Black Chefs and Authors
CandaceSoul food has become one of most prevalent and popular cuisines in the United States. As with Soul music, when a sensory experience feels so familiar, or so American it seems to have soul, we're really talking about its roots in the African diaspora. In the African American community, the art of cooking arises from a longing to feed others, gather family and friends, and keep traditions alive. Food is not solely a way of showing love, but it's also a means to pass traditions down from one family to another and an experience that transcends geographic or cultural boundaries, so I pulled…
Cool Off With These Hot Reads
LaurenIt’s official: the dog days of summer are here. Now’s the time to grab a beach blanket, find a shady tree, sit in front of a fan...you get the idea. Wherever you end up, be sure to chill out with a good book—and don’t forget the sunscreen! Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman Set in Hollywood in the not-too-distant future, Kleeman’s dystopian thriller features movie stars, wildfires, and privatized, synthetic water. Out in August, this book is already getting serious buzz. Appleseed by Matt Bell Packing your bags for a long summer vacation? At nearly 500 pages…
Author Tahmima Anam on The Startup Wife and Her Creative Influences
LizaThe Startup Wife, by acclaimed author Tahmima Anam, is a fresh and bold examination of society’s obsession with social media and glorification of its creators. At once wickedly clever, hilarious, romantic and shocking, Anam's latest is a genuine literary gem that I could not put down, and has already received starred reviews and praise from the likes of Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and author Rumaan Alam ahead of its July 13 release. The story follows tech genius Asha Ray as she introduces a new program that replicates her husband’s ability to create profound sacred-…
Books to Inspire a Revolution (Kinda): A Mini List
The Fourth of July is just a couple of days away—did you buy enough burgers for the grill? Fireworks to drive the neighbors crazy? Blueberries, in order to make that red, white and blue fruity cake Americans love so much? Awesome! You're well on your way to a great Independence Day. All you're missing now is a good book for when you've grown tired of the hoopla and want to escape, but you've already watched Hamilton a trillion times and could maybe use a break. Here are some books set against uprisings around the world that will satisfy your fighting spirit: Animal Farm by George…
Celebrating Queer Joy During Pride
Jessica
Brooklyn by Bike: Staff Reflections on National Bicycle Month
Off the Shelf Editorial StaffThere's a learning and comfort curve to cycling in this city that every cyclist understands. There are laws to learn, upfront costs and scary, aggressive drivers. And for those used to traveling by train, there's a whole system of bicycle-friendly routes to learn in order to get started. But despite all of this, there is a magnificent joy that comes from biking around this town. We would not do it, after all, if it weren't for the joy. And there is perhaps no easier time of year to experience this joy than in the month of May when most of the weather conditions that might dampen the…
Need to Ease Back Into Reading? We Got You!
Raquel PenzoThe last book I read in full was Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson, back in June of 2019. You read that correctly: June of 2019. After that, I just dabbled with a few novels or cookbooks, skimmed Lamar Odom's memoir, Darkness to Light, for Kardashian gossip, and paged through a couple of books about late Patriots' tight end Aaron Hernandez after watching a scathing documentary about his crimes. Then the holidays occupied my time. Then COVID-19 locked us down and my brain could no longer focus. As the world begins to reopen, and more and more of us get fully vaccinated, I'm…
Reading Rut Remedies
LaurenIf you’re on this blog, then I think you're well aware that reading is the best (nothing better!). But just like cooking, exercise or any hobby you practice regularly, sometimes the routine gets boring and you fall into a rut (nothing worse!). Oatmeal with blueberries, again? Jogging the Prospect Park loop, again?? Contemporary fiction about a sad lady looking for love in the big city, again?! Don’t despair, friends—the Library is here for you. Whether you’re currently stuck in a reading rut or you simply want to be prepared, here are five BPL resources that will rekindle your love…
Get Into This AAPI Heritage Month Booklist!
JessiSince 1992, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May to acknowledge the accomplishments and contributions of the AAPI communities to the United States. With the unacceptable rise in anti-Asian violence both here and abroad, it is especially vital for us to bring well-deserved attention to these amazing books written by AAPI writers of the past and present. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner: Zauner, a biracial Korean American musician otherwise known as Japanese Breakfast, shares her moving and witty story of growing up Asian in Eugene, OR…
Avoid the Allure of Easy Money, It's Financial Literacy Month!
NatalieBranch Spotlight: Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center
Acacia, Environmental Justice Coordinator - ONSYour Library, Your Planet Each year we take a moment to celebrate our environment on Earth Day. Our little ones come home from school with plants and ideas for recycling and we think about how our behaviors impact our planet. But now, Brooklyn Public Library has a new branch where every day is Earth Day: The Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center (GEEC). But why is this new branch in Greenpoint? Greenpoint sits at the confluence of the East River and the Newtown Creek, at the Northwest edge of Brooklyn. In the nineteenth century, Greenpoint became the…
Spring Cleaning? Dust Yourself Off While You're At It!
LaCreshaPeeking into the Writing Life of Author Deesha Philyaw
LizaI’m someone who wants to be emotionally invested in the well-being of fictional characters. I enjoy worrying about them when I’m not reading and pining for them when the book has ended. And usually, I avoid short stories because I struggle to connect with the characters in so few pages. However Deesha Philyaw and her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, changed my opinion entirely. Deesha's book contains nine short stories about black women, their sex lives and their varied relationships with the church, examining her tenderly-wrought characters at their most…
An Interview With Cover Designer Olivia McGiff
LaurenWhen people ask who my all-time favorite writer is, I never hesitate. "It’s Laurie Colwin, absolutely," I say. More often than not I’m met with a blank stare: Colwin died tragically young and her final books were published posthumously in 1993. For years, it’s been up to Colwin’s passionate fanbase to introduce new readers to the food and fiction writer’s books. But lo! This spring, the publishers Harper Perennial and Vintage Contemporaries are reissuing Laurie Colwin’s five novels, three story collections and two cooking memoirs with fresh, beautiful covers designed and illustrated by…
The Oy of Cooking
Off the Shelf Editorial StaffPassover with the CookMobile BKLYN CookMobile is a cooking program for teens and other beginners. We cook our way through Brooklyn’s diverse cultural heritages, with an eye to scientific inquiry and food justice. Naturally, we relish holiday ceremony and celebration! Here’s what we recommend for Passover: Leave Me Alone with the Recipes: The Life, Art, and Cookbook of Cipe Pineles by Cipe Pineles Peneles was the first female art director at Condé Nast. If her style looks familiar, it’s because food illustrators are influenced by her work to this day, often without knowing it. This is…
Three Memoirs & Biographies to Read for Women's History Month
JessiMarch is a very special month, especially for me. We celebrate International Women’s Day on the 8th, and Women’s History Month for all thirty-one days. Additionally, my kind and loving mother was born in March. As a staunch queer and intersectional feminist librarian, and former women and gender studies major in college, I am forever passionate about centering ALL women’s stories and experiences. If you, too, are itching to read about the fascinating lives of three incredible women of…
Podcasts Are the Perfect Spring-Cleaning Soundtrack
AdwoaSomehow, March 20—the first day of spring—has crept up on us. This means that “spring cleaning” is in full effect. To be honest, since the increase of remote work, it feels like 2020’s spring cleaning never really ended. It’s a bit cliche but having a clean and clear space has made it easier to concentrate on work during this extended work/life mashup. However, this isn’t going to be a post on tips and tricks to keep your bookshelves dust free. I’m going to be writing about podcasts! A bit random, but bear with me, I'll tie it all together soon. Outside of picking up a few bad habits (I’m…
Soda Bread & Shamrocks: A St. Patrick’s Day Booklist
LaurenWe can’t give you a parade or a pub crawl, but we can offer you a celebratory booklist! Butter your soda bread, drown the shamrock and discover the history and traditions of St. Patrick’s Day with the BPL catalog. Holiday history lessons Celebrating 250 years of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade by John T. Ridge NYC’s annual parade started in 1762! The Wearing of the Green by Mike Cronin & Daryl Adair A thoroughly researched history of March 17. Dagger John by John Loughery The story of Archbishop John Hughes, builder of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and founder of…
A Quick Chat with Brooklyn's Own Tiffany D. Jackson
If you were to scour the twitter account of best-selling YA author Tiffany D. Jackson (Grown), you’d surely come across a few readers who adamantly cuss her out for ripping through their emotions with her characters and plot twists (see: Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming, especially). You’d also notice that she revels in the reactions. But more than that, you’d notice that, since her first novel debuted (and even before), Jackson has been a champion, advocate, and vocal supporter of Black stories and their right to be heard. I met her about a decade ago in a writing workshop she was running…