After just returning from Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, where it was hot and humid, this New England weather is killing me. I would love to return to a sunny vacation where the authentic food was amazing, Buddhist temples await, adventures on rivers and massages at every turn. If you’re looking to take a…
So we had two primary presidential candidates (and by primary, I mean two with actual chances of winning). And the candidate more people voted for lost. So how does that work? People say this country's a democracy, right? Well, not quite: especially when it comes to electing the president. When the Constitutional Convention met in…
Yesterday the New York Times ran a two-part column discussing whether or not there is a "wrong way" to read a book. The best part was this quote from Doris Lessing: “There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those,…
Libraries are sanctuary spaces for First Amendment rights. All persons are welcome and have the right to use the library free from discrimination and from threat to individual safety. There is no “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment. Hate speech is any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite…
The new display at the Somerville Public Library on Highland Ave, created by our one and only staff member, Thy, is now in our glass case for viewing. The display features books, movies and upcoming programming happening all surrounding the Somerville Reads 2016 book "The Witches" by Stacy Schiff. Below are some pictures of the…
Blog by Kathryn Smith, author of The Gatekeeper: Missy LeHand, FDR and the Untold Story of the Partnership That Defined a Presidency. Thanks, Cathy, for letting me be your guest blogger today. Missy LeHand was one of Somerville’s most famous residents in the 1920s-1940s, when she was the private secretary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Especially…
I’m re-reading The Great Gatsby for the first time since college and am astounded. I remember loving the lush, delicate writing at the time but little else. Now I can’t get over the deceptive, seeming simplicity of this very short novel that has so much going on it: a snapshot of the Jazz Age, a critique of…
By: Aimee Bender This endearing book is set in California and is about Rose Edelstein, who when tasting food, can feel the hidden emotions of the person who cooked it. The book is about her relationship with her out of touch parents, disappearing brother, fake classmates and how she handles all the emotions people dump…
Have you ever taken a stroll in Somerville, to come across an octagon shaped house with all the windows boarded up and cameras leering down at you? Well, if you know what I’m talking about, you’ve seen the Round House at 36 Atherton Street in Somerville. Although, it may not be as mysterious as we…
Last Sunday marked the beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim year. If you’re a non-Muslim and don’t know anything about Ramadan, this brief article at Vox.com covers the essentials. Muslims believe Ramadan to be the month God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Mohammed. It’s a time of contemplation and…
