Category: General

Heidi’s Summer Reading List

Posted on by Meghan McCorkell

 

You heard her on Midday with Tom Hall on WYPR Thursday.  Now here is how to get your hands on Pratt President & CEO Heidi Daniel’s Summer Reading selections. Click the covers to reserve your copy at the Pratt today.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Oprah’s 2018 Book Club pick, is the story of a couple who are torn apart when the husband is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century

John Woman by Walter Mosley

Due out in September, John Woman is a novel of ideas about the sexual and intellectual coming-of-age of an unusual man who goes by the name Woman.

Check out Walter Mosley’s Pratt Writers LIVE event on October 4

Under Fire by April Ryan

Coming out this September, April Ryan’s new memoir delves into her work as a White House correspondent reporting on the Trump Presidency.

Come see April Ryan at Pratt Writer’s LIVE on September 11. 

Educated by Tara Westover

Memoir of a young girl who was kept out of school by her survivalist family, and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

The Daily Show host’s memoir details his upbringing in South Africa.

 

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Picture book about a little boy who loves mermaids and wants to be one. His abuela takes him on a magical adventure to show him anyone can be a mermaid

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

When middle schooler Amina’s mosque is vandalized, she uses her singing voice to bring her diverse community together.

Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder

Illustrated by Emily Hughes, Charlie & Mouse is an easy reader book about two imaginative brothers.

Social Worker in the Library Success

Posted on by Meghan McCorkell

More than 600 Library customers helped by new program

The Social Worker in the Library Program has finished year one at the Pratt Library.  This is a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Graduate student social work interns did field hours at four library branches.  The program was so successful, next year it will expand to seven locations.

Some of the highlights:

  • More than 600 Library customers utilized services
  • Direct referrals were offered and support groups formed
  • Coordinated community events brought service providers to the library

At the Brooklyn Branch, interns created “Pop in at the Pratt” to help cultivate community relationships.

The Pennsylvania Avenue branch interns helped connect more than 300 customers with service providers.  They also started a support group called “Community Chat.”

At the Southeast Anchor Library, 40% of the customers seeking help spoke only Spanish.  A bilingual intern was able to help them.  The interns also dispensed care packets to homeless customers during a support group meeting.

Interns at the Hamilton branch helped create a Homework Club for children and helped library staff set up an after-school club.

Social Worker in the Library will start up again this fall. Click here for more information. 

Support for Social Worker in the Library is provided:

Rockin’ Reads, Part 3: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Here are more great reviews from our Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Gordon B. on The List by Amy B. Siskind: Siskind was told that she needed to make a list of everything that she felt was out of the democratic norm for this administration, otherwise, she would not realize what she had lost when the time finally came to realize that her democracy was gone forever. She began recording and was amazed to see how many words and actions the Trump regime transgressed on. She was also surprised to observe how the actions and words mounted over the weeks that came. Many weeks were jammed with events that could have been scarcely expected when she began making “the list.” Carefully done so that judgment only is implied, this list is a house of horrors for those who want the Trump influence to be very light.

Melina T. on A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles: First of all, don’t be intimidated by the length/size of the book – it’s big but such a delightful read. The book takes place a couple of years after the Russian Revolution–the Count Rostov, who lives at the famous Metropol Hotel, is sentenced to life imprisonment within the hotel and declared a “former person.” How can a book so long be told just from within the confines of a six-story building? Towles does an amazing job at making the setting appear larger than life and his characters are so well developed and the hotel becomes as much a character in the novel as any of the human ones. This is a beautifully written book with so many lovely nuggets (too many to list here) and a wistfulness regarding how to comport oneself with class and graciousness. If you don’t fall in love with the Count and the many different characters that make up his world, well then….

Ellen L. on Come Sundown by Nora Roberts: Nora Roberts is a master storyteller of romantic suspense. This book takes place mostly on a family-owned ranch and resort in Montana and has superb dialogue. The plot revolves around a family member who has been missing for 25 years—it has a great surprise ending!

Nancy G. on The Kindness Cure by Tara Cousineau: Super-great, useful suggestions for ways to approach a stressed-out, fearful world with compassion and empathy. Great application of neuroscience information.

Cornelia B. on Florida by Lauren Groff: Spooky, unsettling, weird and internal, these stories probe the psyches and swampy landscapes of America’s weirdest state. This was perhaps the most anticipated book of the summer on lists all over the Internet!

Jana G. on The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: This was a lovely book and super-quick read. I appreciated that the underlying story was one of acceptance and understanding, though felt the ending a bit contrived (a kids’ fairy tale for sure). the images were wonderful and the story heartfelt. I will likely reread the book again in the future.

James R. on The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn: Pretty good book with lots of references to Hitchcock and other old movies. I think this is one that will actually be better as a movie.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

Rockin’ Reads, Part Two: More Reviews from Adult Summer Challenge Participants

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

Looking for your next good read? Take a tip from one of our Adult Summer Challenge participants:

Noelani L. on The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish: Hilarious and heartfelt! Audiobook read by the author is excellent. Enjoyed this on my commute to and from work.

Leslie J. on The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian: Love his books. Can’t put them down. This one had me up late into the night trying to figure out who done it.

Laura M. on Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders: The book is written in a fascinating style of quotes from fictional characters and historical accounts of Willie Lincoln’s illness, and imagined experience in the graveyard neighborhood, during Abraham Lincoln’s presidential term. It’s emotional, touching, and imaginative. Quite funny in parts. If you liked Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you will probably like Lincoln in the Bardo.

Robert B. on Grant by Ron Chernow: Most of us think of Ulysses Simpson Grant as a great general but a poor president. Ron Chernow’s tour-de-force biography casts Grant in a completely different mold, emphasizing his fight against the Ku Klux Klan in the post-Civil War South as well as his determined support for African American rights. Chernow also enumerates those qualities of Grant that made him the first modern general to emerge from the Civil War. This is a large book but definitely worth the time and effort it takes to make your way through it.

Holly T. on Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong and Wreck the Halls: Cake Wrecks Gets “Festive” by Jen Yates: […]Cake Wrecks is an active blog in which people submit pictures of professionally made confections that are just freakin’ WRONG. The books are the best of the worst of these submissions. Laughable spelling and grammar, literal interpretations of instructions, and questionable icing choices are among some of the travesties you’ll find, and they’re made even more amusing by the author’s commentary. The way the world is right now, we could all do with some laughter, and the Cake Wrecks books deliver.

Lakeisha H. on Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill  : […]Walking the streets that I’m familiar with in this book was a comfort and joy. The main character finds not only his personal story but the very deep and historically valid and important story of African Americans in Baltimore. What is wonderful is Baltimore becomes a character in the book. It’s not often you get to read about Baltimore in any other capacity other than crime and violence. The glory of Uptown, the impact of the A.M.E., the beauty of Charles Village, and the people of Baltimore are showcased in this book that could be considered a historical fiction. Extremely worth reading.

Tammra F. on First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Cooper and Piper made for a very interesting storyline. Piper was a treat to read about. She reminded me of a little bit of myself. She seems to think out loud and it makes for a very funny and interesting read. Cooper is just wonderful and I love that he doesn’t give up on Piper and seems to understand her better than she understands herself.

Join the fun! For a chance to win fabulous prizes in the Adult Summer Challenge, create a free Beanstack account and log each book you finish between June 13 and August 15.

A Royally Mysterious Afternoon at the Roland Park Branch

Posted on by Tracy Dimond

by Julie Johnson, Roland Park Branch Manager

On Saturday June 23, former Roland Park resident Eleanor Herman returned to her childhood library for an intriguing presentation on The Royal Art of Poison:  Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, Filthy Palaces and Murder Most Foul.

Herman explained that actual poisoning may have been hard to detect because royals used arsenic, lead, gold, and mercury in their cosmetics (got to keep that dewy, soft complexion, you know), did NOT use their chamber pots, decorated with lead paint, and physicians were certain that mercury, blood-letting and dead birds split in half and placed on the head of the patient would save the royal life. All those fatal practices create a conundrum for investigators.

The program got fantastic reviews.  One attendee said, “This was a wonderful experience!”  Another called it “a fabulous program” while a third said it was “thoroughly enjoyable.”  The forty-plus attendees were treated to photo-illustrated talk with Ms. Herman in Renaissance dress.

Fans lined up afterward to buy a signed copy at The Ivy Bookshop’s table. Check out these short, fascinating videos from the book.

Join us for more Writers LIVE author programs #atthepratt. And of course, check out more titles by Eleanor Herman at the Pratt Library. Just click on the cover!