Black History Month Staff and Board Member Book Picks
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh staff and board members recommend these must read books that celebrate African American authors, culture and history.
Gimme Some Sugar
Last year was a pretty good year for Black television. FX gave us Donald Glover’s show Atlanta and HBO gave us Issa Rae’s Insecure. One great show that may have slipped your radar came from Oprah’s OWN network: Queen Sugar, based on the book of the same name. While I haven’t read the book yet, I really enjoy the TV show.
History Gets a Sci-Fi Twist in Kindred
What if you found yourself suddenly transported into the past? What if you traveled over and over to the same place and you had no control over when you came back? What if the past was so dangerous that you wondered if you would ever come back at all?
Warming Up Winter with a Beach Read
Curling up under a blanket on my couch while 30 degree winds swirl outside my window is probably not the typical way to enjoy Elin Hilderbrand’s Here’s to Us. Her beautiful imagery of Nantucket in June makes me want to be outside, in the sun and on a lounge chair. Alas, that was not to be, and since I am so behind on my summer reading list (what month is it again?!), I took the opportunity to get caught up.
She Drowned in Moonlight, Strangled by Her Own Bra
Over the course of her career, Carrie Fisher gave life to one of the most iconic women of science fiction, advocated for mental health awareness, wrote gloriously smart, funny books and inspired generations of girls and women to be unapologetically themselves, to take matters into their own hands and to stand up for justice regardless of the consequences.
Read Harder: Vol. 12
At the beginning of the year, I decided to tackle a proper reading challenge. I wanted to push myself a little and try a few things, particularly genres, that I don’t typically approach when I’m looking for something to read. I’m pretty proud of what I tried and how many of the boxes I was able to check off. Here are a few of the categories I didn’t quite get around to this year, but I’m hoping to carry over into 2017.
Three Audio Books with Great Narrators
There have been numerous discussions about whether listening to books is the same as reading books. Although the process may be different, it seems to me that either way you are learning and gathering information. The following are audio book titles that I would recommend, because the narrators are amazing and really give life to the characters.
Thoughts on The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried is an incredibly powerful book, one that should — yes, absolutely — be required reading for every American.
History, Mystery and Witchery
Hopefully you are enjoying the spectacular colors of autumn as much as I am, even if you have to go through the “joy” of raking all those leaves. When your body’s sore from all that work, treat yo’self with some hot apple cider and some almost-as-fantastic-as-apple-pie-books. Here are some of my favorite selections for these colder and windier days.
Meeting Author Jason Reynolds at the National Book Festival
Having my books signed by Jason Reynolds at the 2016 National Book Festival was exciting for a number of reasons. It allowed for me to physically meet an author I admire. It also allowed for me to see that, as an author, I can have success as well. Lastly, the inspirational words that he wrote in my books will help me to keep going in an industry that can be daunting. Be brave! Don’t give up!