Make Summer Fun with BPL
Summer. The season of sunshine, perspiring drinks, outdoor activities, and grains of sand that show up in every space and surface you encounter well into December. School is out—and even for those of us who left academic lives several moons ago – the freedom and possibility of these days are as wired into our collective DNA as is the urge to seek shelter from a rainstorm, hot chocolate from frigid temperatures, or binge watch episodes of Atlanta after a long, exhausting day. (Just me?) Summer is a break from our normal lives. A chance to seek blue skies, rocky…
[Virtual] Opening Day
Trudging through the chilly breeze and long, dark evenings of winter, we looked forward to spring: budding of new leaves, sunnier days, and those two magic words: Play Ball! Spring training would have been the first sign of hope for warmer days, evenings spent watching a favorite team on TV, or listening on the radio. Whether you’re a die-hard baseball fan who grew up loving a favorite team, or a more recent fan, it’s clear that this season isn’t going to be what you remembered, and may not be what you hoped to find. Brooklyn has its own deep roots and history with baseball, from the…
End the Decade Appreciating Your Already Good Self
Perhaps it’s the never ending stream of end-of-decade, best-of and worst-of lists of TV shows, movies, plays, books, albums, memes, restaurants, etc.? Or, it could be the deluge of contantly streamable media is giving us all Lack-of-Season-al Affective Disorder (LSAD)? Or maybe it’s because we are entering an election year while still in the middle of year forever of a hostile and contentious political climate? Whatever the reason, who could blame you for feeling end-of-the-decade dread. We at Off the Shelf would like to ease that dread by offering resources and materials for a more…
A Guide to the 2019 Brooklyn Book Festival
Celebrate Father's Day with These Famous Dads
Short Reads for a Long Weekend
Maybe you have an hour or two to spare over the weekend and want to complete a book instead of reading a chapter. Maybe you want to read on the beach but don’t want to spend too much time in the sun. Or maybe your partner has taken the kids for a couple of hours and finding two articles in the stack of unread New Yorkers is too much trouble. Whatever the case, we’ve got you covered. Below are a list of Quick Reads to enjoy over the holiday weekend. Each is under 100 pages and offer a variety of topics for a variety of tastes. For the La Manch-an In You Mona Lisa by Alexander Lernet-…
Celebrate Presidents' Day with Biographies of Overlooked Presidents
Washington. Lincoln. Jefferson. Both Roosevelts. Nixon. Reagan. Clinton. Obama. These presidents loom large in our imaginations: easily identifiable figures whose influence defines the Presidency and the evolution of our country. The library stacks are filled with biographies that investigate the deeds and personalities of these men, but what about the other presidents? Those not easily identified whose places in history are often overlooked? For Presidents' Day, we highlight those commanders-in-chief who may have fallen under your radar. An Honest President : The…