Come enjoy a story and song event for children, Let’s Tour the World, with author Theresa Lynn and guitar player and singer Fiona Eve Murray, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 31, at Little Crum Creek in Swarthmore.
All tagged Books
What You're Recommending (and Reading) This Summer
It’s summertime, the time of year when we ask you what books you recommend to others and what else you plan to devour over the next few months. We’ve got quite a list, so let’s get to it.
Something to Read: ‘A Good Cry’
Nikki Giovanni’s book of poetry ‘A Good Cry’ is this week’s recommendation for something to read.
Longwood Gardens Community Read
The Longwood Gardens Community Read program is in its eighth year. This year, two book selections explore how one finds a passion for nature, and how that spark can grow. Their featured book is “The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair With Nature,” by J. Drew Lanham. For younger readers, they selected “Ruby’s Birds,” by Mya Thompson.
Something to Read: ‘When No One Is Watching’
Associate editor Satya Nelms recommends Alyssa Cole’s new novel, “When No One is Watching.”
Something to Read: ‘Caste’
Isabel Wilkerson’s award-winning first book, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” has long been on my “to be read” list. But I’ll be honest: I was intimidated by its heft.
Something to Read: ‘Our Subway Baby,’ written by Peter Mercurio, illustrated by Leo Espinosa
The publisher describes this children’s picture book this way: “Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway.”
Book Rx: Literary Prescriptions for This Holiday Season
Years ago, Swarthmorean associate editor Satya Nelms decided to get creative with her Christmas presents. This year, she combined her DIY tradition with her love of books. She shares some of her gift prescriptions: stories of people who combine Black, female, queer, poor, immigrant, and disabled identities.
Something to Read: ‘The Indoor Water Gardener’s How-To Handbook’
As the weather turns cold, and many outdoor plants settle into hibernation, it seems natural to put off thoughts of growing anything until the spring. But the change in season doesn’t mean we must stop gardening.
Ahab’s Rolling Sea: Tracing Our Perceptions of the Ocean Through “Moby-Dick”
Richard J. King, a visiting professor at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, will talk about his book, “Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick,” on Monday, November 9, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Something to Read
“Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, illustrated by Jonny Sun, is a book of affirmations meant to inspire, encourage, and uplift.
A Bundle of Resources from SPL
With the shift to virtual learning in district schools, many families are concerned about how much time their kids are spending in front of screens. Parents are worried, too, about their ability to support and help teach their kids. Swarthmore Public Library has put together educational “book bundles” on a range of topics to help. Each bundle contains four books from the juvenile or young adult nonfiction collection. They focus particularly on STEM themes, and on topics relevant to the election.
In the Garden with Andrew: Summer Reading List
I have a passion for collecting gardening and horticulture books. In this column, I share a few I’ve read and others I plan to read soon. Some of my suggestions are recently published, while others are decades old.
Two Opportunities to Learn About Diverse Cultures
Dr. Benedicte Grima, a linguist, ethnographer, and translator, has combined her skills and mined her experiences in decades of work with diverse cultures here and in Asia to produce three books: two scholarly works on Pashtun culture and now, a new novel which explores life in flux and translation between America and northern Pakistan. Dr. Grima will present her new book in free talks this month at the Swarthmore Campus and Community Store, Saturday, November 16, at 3 p.m., and at the Swarthmore Public Library on Wednesday, November 20, at 7 p.m. Both sessions are free.
Donate Items to SPL Book & Bake Sale
The fall Book & Bake sale at Swarthmore Public Library is coming up November 7 to 9! Further details will come in future issues of the Swarthmorean; for now, please note that the deadline for donating gently used books and AV items (DVDs, CDs) is Saturday, October 19. Please donate only items in good condition ... clean, spines intact, no scribbling.
Nature’s Narratives Resume at Scott
The Scott Arboretum book club “Nature’s Narratives” resumes at Scott Arboretum in a session on Wednesday, September 11, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
2019 Summer Reading Lists
The Swarthmorean is happy to bring our subscribers a curated list of recommended books for 2019, submitted by our readers. The list consists of the best books our readers have read over the past year, and a list of books they plan to read over the summer. We hope these lists help you fill your own summer reading list.
A Summer of Book Ideas for Young Readers
For this summer’s list, Carol Kennedy begins with one of the books that the Swarthmore Public Library is featuring in its One Book, One Swarthmore program: All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. In this excellent young-adult novel, an incident of police brutality threatens to tear a community apart.
One Book (Actually Three), One Swarthmore
The votes have been tallied, and Swarthmoreans have chosen three books for various levels of readers for the inaugural year of “One Book, One Swarthmore.” A week-long festival of events beginning June 7 will celebrate unity, involving readers of all ages in activities promoting conversation about the books and their relation to the theme of this year’s program, “I, Too, Am America” (inspired by the Langston Hughes poem, I, Too).