This year we have compiled our top 10 fiction checkouts for adults, young adults (teens), and children's books. Gail Honeyman took the number one adult fiction spot this year with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Paulette Jiles was a close second with News of the World. In third place, The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve. Somerville adult readers also…
“Winter is here”–Sansa Stark, Game of Thrones, Season 6, Episode 10. The Boston area’s white Christmas has given way to bone-chilling cold. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson, local temperatures are and will be 20-25 degrees colder than normal into the next week. Frostbite is possible after as few as 30 minutes outside….
In This Book, Craftsmanship Is a Matter of Life or Death In the underground city of Caverna, the setting of Frances Hardinge’s novel A Face Like Glass, a sip of wine can rewrite memories, a bite of cheese can spark visions, and certain perfumes make the wearer literally irresistible. Its citizens’ facial expressions, too, are…
Today (Nov. 28) was Giving Tuesday, a day designated by the United Nations and New York City's 92nd Street Y as a universal day of giving, as a way to establish a contrast to the consumerism of the holiday season. But despite that rampant consumerism, the month of December is when Americans are most likely to donate…
This past weekend we set our clocks back one hour as we do every year. Ideally when we get up in the morning it will be a little lighter, and, not so ideally, after we work we'll all be stumbling home in the dark. But why do we do this? Supposedly Benjmain Franklin first proposed…
The state Department of Transportation has just issued a Notice of Project Change for the Green Line Extension. The extension from College Avenue in Medford to the Mystic Valley Parkway has been delayed for fiscal reasons. The Notice of Project Change is intended to initiate further Massachusetts EPA review of the Mystic Valley Parkway Extension…
Welcome to our latest installment of Meet the Staff on the Library blog! This October, we would like to introduce you to two of our newest staff members, Julie and Lilly. These two women bring a lot of great ideas, previous library work experience, and enthusiasm to their jobs at the SPL. Though Julie and…
This month on the blog and in our e-newsletter, we’re introducing you to our amazing staff from Tech Services and the Business Office! (If you’re joining us from our e-Newsletter, welcome to the blog!) You might have seen these wonderful women around the Library, filling in wherever needed. You’ll often see Patty and Wendy in…
On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible in most of the United States. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth and blocks all or part of the sun. While Massachusetts is not in the “path of totality,” Somerville residents should be able to see a…
We're past the late spring/early summer when many of us are beginning to think about what to plant on our back decks or in our window boxes. But there's no reason we can't start planning what to grow indoors. Plants are beautiful, they make us feel better, and they can even clean up our environment….
