Winter Break Reads: Part Three
This series shares some of the books our library staff were able to read over the winter break. Perhaps you will find a book for your “TBR” stack for spring or summer break!
Note: Some books are available through NYPL. For more information on getting your NYPL card, check out our blog post!
Nick Alongi, Head of Access, Information and Collection Services and Operations
The Age of Madness Series by Joe Abercrombie
The Age of Madness Trilogy is the second trilogy set in the First Law World by British author Joe Abercrombie; A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1), The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2), The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)
This bestselling author who uses the Twitter handle @LordGrimdark never disappoints and really delivered with this three book series.
Check it out!
Maria Sanchez, Access and Support Staff
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Over the winter break I read Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I really enjoyed the Apple television show and finally decided to pick up the first book in the series. It’s pretty different from the show, but the main themes are still explored. The story is about a twelve thousand year old galactic empire that is starting to crumble, with its demise predicted by a man who studies societal trends. He is exiled and tasked with creating an encyclopedia of mankind’s knowledge so the information is available after the empire’s fall. His “foundation” becomes more than that and we follow how this new world comes into power.
Check it out!
Evan Frankl, Westchester Library, Saturday Librarian
Environmental Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition : Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant Wisdom on the Environment.” Foreword by Rev. Robert Sirico Introduction by Jay W. Richards.
In 2000 three groups of faith leaders met and drafted the “Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship.” Each religious group then issued its own explanation for their support of this declaration and how their religion sees environmental stewardship in the light of 21st century realities. The common themes in each of the three explanations is a) people are “stewards” of God’s creation – they are not meant to worship God’s creation and b) moderation makes for the best use of people’s abilities to solve the problems of the world around them. [Reissued in a slightly different version in 2008.]
Check it out!
The Neighbor’s Kid : A Cross-Country Journey in Search of What Education Means to Americans by Philip Brand
In the height of the early 21st century public education wars, a late twentysomething embarks on a cross country trek to visit two schools in 49/50 states over one school year. These include urban and rural traditional public, magnet, specialized, charter, private independent, private religious, and homeschoolers. The resulting information he comes away with is the basis for the title. What parents are most often looking for in a school is not test-scores or college admissions, but what are the values of the school, and who will their child’s classmates be. An emphasis on local/community control and support for the traditional neighborhood school (whether public or private) permeate the reading.
Check it out!
Mei Fujie, Graduate Student Reference Assistant
No-No Boy by John Okada
Published in 1957, No-No Boy is one of the first novels published in the United States from an Asian American perspective. The story reveals the predicament of a second-generation Japanese immigrant, Ichiro, after his post-World War II internment in America. I enjoyed this novel because Ichiro’s extremely contradicted Japanese and American (enemies during the war) identities are well depicted. Most significantly, the novel contributes to the diversity of American literature by adding Asian and Japanese experiences and perspectives.
Check it out!
