Audiobooks for Your August Adventures
It’s that time of year, when New Yorkers with a car are headed out of town for beaches, mountains, tents—anywhere that isn’t miles of uninterrupted concrete and squashed lanternflies—while those who don’t have wheels are making beelines for New York City’s great parks, equipped with cold beverages, blankets, and the desire not to use one’s eyes for anything other than cloud-gazing and staring into long, green blades of grass. If you’re like me, you like to have a story to disappear into as you do all this escaping and relaxing (and because you’re reading a library blog, you probably are like…
Make Spring Fun with Brooklyn Public Library
Let me get this out of the way first: spring is my least favorite season. I think it’s a tease. If it’s gray and frigid in the morning, you’ll be sweating through your work shirt and squinting in the sun by the afternoon. Sure, there are daffodils and magnolia trees—but are the buds really worth the sneeze sessions that come with them? Easter egg hunts were fun when we were kids, but now I contemplate lanternfly egg hunts, and spring is full of trepidation! But I don’t want to be the curmudgeon who wears turtlenecks until Memorial Day. I’d like to be the kind of person who delights in the…
BPL Book Bingo! 23 Books for 2023
Each time a new year rolls around, it seems the age-old resolution to “read more books” does too. This year, we challenge you to not only read more books but to read 23 books for 2023! And, we've developed a list to guide your reading and encourage you to step outside your comfort zone. So, in 2023, we challenge you to read: A book for the new year (check out some of our New Year's booklists for inspiration!) A book with a bookmark from a previous patron A book in translation An audiobook or eBook …
What We’re Reading on the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy
Bound by the Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson Estuary, the land on which New York City sits has always been a place defined by water. But it wasn’t until the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York 10 years ago this week, that many of us began to understand what being surrounded by water means for our city’s safety and future. Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall in New York City on October 29th, 2012, devastated neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. Streets, houses and subway stations were overwhelmed with water as New York’s aging infrastructure faced historic storm surges…
BKLYN Kids Presents: Great Podcasts for Kids & Grown-ups!
Are you a person who cannot start their commute without that favorite true crime or comedy podcast downloaded and in your queue? Whether you are a public radio nerd or just now discovering podcasts for yourself, I’m here to tell you that your kids can listen to podcasts, too! The children's podcast industry is growing, and a lot of them are educational and designed to be listened to as a family. So, you don’t have to put in your own headphones when you turn on these pods for your kiddos! Audio stories are a great way to keep kids’ minds active and occupied while taking that long-…
What to Read for Read in the Bathtub Day
Historically, 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…