Literary Links: Books to Read Before You Die

When did doing things "before you die" become a thing? It's got to be before the film Bucket List came out in 2007. Suddenly, people want to make sure they have time to "sleep under the stars" and "visit the Taj by moonlight," and they are making the lists to prove it. If you needed any help figuring out what makes the list of 10 or 100 or 1000 things you need to do before your life winds down, here's a sampling of some of the books from the library catalog with "before you die" in the title to get you started:

100 Things To Do in Albuquerque Before You Die

1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die

1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die

1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die

The Baseball Fan's Bucket List: 162 Things To Do, See, Get, and Experience Before You Die [eBook]

1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die

And, as you would expect, the catalog also features 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - wow! That's a lot of reading! If you'd like a smaller, or perhaps more specific list, or one from a different perspective, we've combed the internet to find some alternate lists of recommended reads. We know not everyone loves a list - but for those who do, we've got you covered.

100 Books to Read in a Lifetime [Amazon]

25 Books to Read Before You Die: World Edition [Powell's]

Popular 100 Books to Read Before You Die Shelf [Goodreads]

The 42 best books to read before you die - our favorites [Independent]

Creating the Ultimate List : 100 Books to Read Before You Die [Medium]

Choosing 1000 Novels to Read Before You Die [Guardian]

26 Books From Around the World You Need to Read Before You Die [Buzzfeed]

The Sci-Fi Classics You Need to Read Before You Die [PopSugar]

On the Books: Amazon compiled a list of 100 young adult books to read before you die [EW]

Helping You Help Yourself: Some Guides to Modern Living

We confess, self-help is not a genre we've given a lot of attention to. We're more of the mindset of Sarah Bennett, co-author of  F*ck Feelings: One Shrink's Practical Advice for Managing All Life's Impossible Problems, who has said:

The first step is accepting what you can't control. So many people who come to my father [psychiatrist and co-author Michael Bennett]—they want something they can't have. They want a happy relationship that’s never going to be happy, or they want opportunities that are not easy to come by. So it's going into accepting what you can't control, the factors that are out of your hands, and seeing what you can do with what you can control. And learning to be proud of yourself not just for accomplishing what you can, and not beating yourself up for what you can't. Not seeing yourself as a failure, when you haven’t really failed because it’s not something that you could have controlled in the first place. And admiring your ability to withstand a feeling of rejection, and the frustration and the pain, and keep going on towards a more reasonable goal while being a good person. That’s also what’s emphasized so heavily. Figuring out your own values and sticking to them.

That said, we have a lot of admiration for people who have faced adversity, have worked on their personal problem using creative means, who are "able to laugh at how much life sucks."  And we are not totally averse to dipping into self-help - Dear Abby might be a bridge too far, but we have certainly perused the occasional Ask Polly column and taken in the Dear Sugar podcast now and then, and like the So Sad Today twitter feed, sometimes we feel like we'd like to "borrow some dopamine", and reading that someone else has "same anxiety different day" is oddly comforting. Sometimes succor comes from unusual sources; sometimes from just feeling seen and feeling understood.

The modern world has its own set of manners and mysteries, pratfalls and perils; we've collected some books that might serve as guideposts along your way or to make you feel like one of the gang, even if, like Groucho Marx, you would "refuse to join any club that would have [you] as a member."

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On Love and Life From Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

How to Be a Person In the World: Ask Polly's Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life by Heather Havrilesky

So Sad Today: Personal Essays by Melissa Broder 

Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett 

This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More-- For Young and Old Alike by Augusten Burroughs 

Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker 

Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West 

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson  

Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons From a Small-Town Obituary Writer by Heather Lende

Beautiful Uncertainty: Singleness, Surrender, and Stepping Out On Faith by Mandy Hale

Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help by Larisa MacFarquhar

I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves by Ryan O'Connell

Promise Land: My Journey Through America's Self-Help Culture by Jessica Lamb-Shapiro

Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Twelve Self-Help Programs, One Whirlwind Year of Improvement by Beth Lisick 

 

Science Fiction for Reluctant Science Fiction Readers

Ringed Planet. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016.
http://quest.eb.com/search/139_1964669/1/139_1964669/cite. Accessed 29 Sep 2016.

Science fiction can be an acquired taste. Some readers grew up on it; others never quite saw the appeal of stories involving time travel, alien contact, space exploration, or the ways in which these concepts can be used to explore moral and intellectual debates. But if you’re a reader who’d like to ease their way into the genre, there are a few great places to begin.
~Tobias Carroll, "Science Fiction Books For People Who Don't Read Science Fiction"

Judging by the amount of articles you can find online titled with some variation on "science fiction novels for people who hate science fiction," or "for people who don't usually read science fiction," it seems that this genre can be a bit of a hard sell - kind of funny, considering that big and small screens are dominated by Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the like. But some of science fiction can be daunting - probably you won't want to dive into "hard science fiction" unless you like your science fiction to emphasize the science, for instance, and unless you have someone knowledgeable to guide you, subgenres like "space opera" might be confounding (although "alternate history" and "post-apocalyptic" are pretty straightforward). There are folks out there who think that genre fiction is "lightweight stuff;" there's an argument for cultural differences factoring in for those who are not interested in the genre. Ultimately, though, you could say that "[r]eal science fiction is as close to an intense discussion of philosophy as you can get while still reading fast-paced, page-turning fiction." Science fiction is asking some big questions, after all - "what does it mean to be human? What’s our place in the universe? Do we matter? Are we alone?"

Most of us have asked ourselves these kinds of questions. Why not try some science fiction next time you're at the library? Check out the list below, compiled from several lists "for people who don't read science fiction" - you might have already read one or two (or a book by the same author), and not even realized it. We've included each book's subgenre just to give you an idea of  the plot - "science fiction" with no qualifier usually means literary fiction, although sometimes it indicates a humorous bent.


The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell [social science fiction]

Shards of Honor [eAudiobook] by Lois McMaster Bujold [space opera]

Never Let Me Go by  Kazuo Ishiguro [science fiction]

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell [experimental fiction]

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger [time travel]

Slaughterhouse-Five: Or, The Children's Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death by Kurt Vonnegut [military science fiction]

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes [time travel]

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin [social science fiction]

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy [social science fiction]

China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh [science fiction]

The Player of Games by Iain Banks [space opera]

Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem [science fiction]

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood [dystopia]

To Say Nothing of the Dog, Or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump At Last by Connie Willis [science fiction]

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon [alternative history]

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel [apocalyptic fiction]

The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian [apocalyptic fiction]

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi [apocalyptic fiction]

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber [science fiction]

Embassytown by China Miéville [social science fiction]

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson [science fiction]

New & Novel @ Your Library

The Public Library ABQ-BernCo is always trying to meet the needs of a changing world. We're not just books - we're eBooks! We're a Seed Library! Check out cake pans, Kindle Fire Tablets, Kill-a-Watt Energy Detectors! Subscribe our our email book recommendation newsletters! Our databases and subject guides are open 24/7, with your valid library card - learn a new language with Pronunciator or look up the list of Caldecott winners. Are we missing something you need? Suggest a purchase or get it via interlibrary loan. Do you need to book a meeting or study room for your group? We've got those. And more! Here are some of the latest additions to our library offerings, as well as some older programs of which you might not be aware:

Freegal Music 
Freegal is a free music service which offers download or streaming access to more than 9 million songs and over 15,000 music videos, including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists. In total the collection is comprised of music from over 28,000 labels with music that originates in over 100 countries. Freegal works with almost all computers, players, tablets, and smartphones. No special software is needed, but there are Apple and Android apps available for a more mobile friendly experience. To access your Freegal benefits, your library account needs to be in good standing. You can download 3 songs per week and stream 3 hours per day using your library card number and PIN to log in.

Friends for the Public Library
For information about donating at library branches, book sales, and more.

Genealogy Center
The Genealogy Center is located at the Main Library. Contact the center to schedule a tour at the Genealogy Center or to come to you with a half hour presentation about the many resources available for free from the Public Library ABQ-BernCo and the Genealogy Center to support family history research. Or stop by for Research Day (last Tuesday of the month) or Military Research Day (first Tuesday of the month). The American Ancestors database is only accessible at this location.

Gizmo Garage
Want to meet eReaders and learn how to borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines from the library? Visit our Gizmo Garage for hands-on experience with devices and in-person assistance with library downloads. 

Making Change   
A local history lecture series at Special Collections presented by The Public Library ABQ – BernCo, Historic Albuquerque, Inc., and Oasis Albuquerque.

Mergent Intellect Global
Access comprehensive information such as Company descriptions & history, Products & services, Structure & operations, Competitors, SEC filings, Annual reports with synopsis, and Business news & industry trends. Use company information to research companies and competitors in your industry, find new business opportunities. Find information on 245 million private/public & inactive global businesses companies. Also, access full family trees including domestic and international subsidiaries and branches.

Mobile Hotspot
Use your library card to check out a Hotspot providing you with free, and mobile, internet access! The Public Library ABQ-BernCo is very pleased to be working with T-Mobile to offer mobile Hotspots for check-out.

• The mobile Hotspots may be checked out at all ABQ-BernCo Library locations.
• Customers must have a valid ABQ-BernCo Library card.
• Hotspots may be checked out by adult cardholders with full access accounts, in good standing.
• Hotspots can be checked out for 3 weeks.
• Hotspots are not eligible for renewal.
• All components (Hotspot, charger, cord, and piece case) must be present upon return for the library to consider the item checked in.
• Instruction cards are included with the hotspots.
• Replacement for the Hotspot is $120.
• Hotspots must be returned to a staff member at the Circulation Desk.

Museum Discovery Pass Program 
Check the catalog (a keyword search of "family pass" will bring up all of them) or call a library branch and ask them to check the library catalog - the passes are first come, first served, and you cannot place holds. If the pass you're looking for is not currently available, keep checking the Museum Discovery Pass LibGuide for updates on new program dates!

• Albuquerque International Balloon Museum - Current program has ended, new program dates are pending.
• Albuquerque Museum of Art and History - Passes available through August 31, 2017.
• Explora! - Passes available through September 30, 2017.
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - Passes available through August 31, 2017.
• Maxwell Museum of Anthropology - Passes available through August 31, 2017.
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History - Passes available through August 31, 2017.
• New Mexico Family Pass - Visit any of 15 state museums and historic sites throughout NM; Passes are active.
• ABQ BioPark - Passes for free admission up to 4 people to the BioPark will be available through December 31, 2016.

TREP Center
The TREP Center is Public Library ABQ-BernCo’s hub for small business owners, entrepreneurs, inventors and researchers. At the TREP Center, you'll find information resources curated with the startup community in mind. In addition to print and digital resources, the center is home to Book-a-Librarian. Make an appointment for a consultation with a librarian with special training in connecting citizens to innovation and planning resources throughout Albuquerque.

Upcoming Events
Programs and events at all branches of the Public Library ABQ-BernCo.


Photo credit: Library attendant. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 18 May 2016.http://quest.eb.com/search/108_1087746/1/108_1087746/cite

September in Review

September was a better reading month than I thought it would be. I'm still doing a good job following the themes my sister and I decided on for the year. In September, we were supposed to read at least one LGBT book, and I read more than one. Here's what I read in September.


Tumbling by Caela Carter
Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks by Richard G. Fernicola
Sing by Vivi Greene
Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup
A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Erin Lindstrom
True Letters from a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medin
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Cherry by Lindsey Rosin
The Hunt by Megan Shepherd
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

I feel like I read a good mix in September: I read LGBT fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, a graphic novel, and non-fiction. I did feel like I read a little too much, though (is that possible?!), since I didn't spend as much time writing as I would have liked. This month, I'm going to try to balance that better.

The theme for October is to read at least one Stephen King book, I'm planning on reading Christine, which is my favorite King novel, and one that I think doesn't get talked about nearly enough.

What did you read in September? Let us know in the comments!

Adult Fiction Readalikes Based on Childhood Favorites

Often what we love as children stays with us long into adulthood – this is true of me, at the very least - from dearly loved movies to comfort foods to favorite reads. While the beloved classics of my childhood may not hold up under my more discerning adult scrutiny (ahem, Nancy Drew), that does not mean that I don’t get all warm and fuzzy when I think about Nancy’s adventures. Certain children's books are classic for a reason. Through their characters and themes, they become an ineffable part of our reading identity. So it only makes sense that thematically similar books, whether intended for younger or older audience, would be enjoyed based on said similarities That is my goal with these recommendations, to pair the books I loved as a child with books I've loved as an adult, based on their themes, characters, and storylines. Because who doesn't want to find out how Nancy Drew would fit into the world of adult fiction?!
~Rory O'Connor, "All Grown Up: Discovering Adult Fiction Based on Your Childhood Favorites"


In our peregrinations around the worldwide web, we found the nifty article referenced above (along with a similar list on Buzzfeed) and our interest was piqued. There are lots of children's books we love, but sometimes, to paraphrase Thomas Wolfe, it is hard to go home again. So, enlisting the help of our free eResource NoveList (which is useful for researching readalikes as well as for finding new authors and titles, fiction and non fiction for all ages), we made a list of some of our childhood favorites, and recommended readalikes based on genre, tone, character, subject, and/or writing style. Each listing begins with the children's book title, and the grownup readalike follows after the dash.

Caddie Woodlawn - The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall

Pippi Longstocking –  Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Ramona the Pest – The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang

A Wrinkle in Time - The Runes of the Earth by Stephen R. Donaldson

Kristy's Great Idea [Babysitters' Club #1]  - Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons

The Phantom Tollbooth - His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

The Westing Game - Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz

Comet in Moominland  - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Anne of Green Gables - Y by Marjorie Celona

The Egypt Game - The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue by Barbara Samuel

Little House in the Big Woods - O Pioneers by Willa Cather

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett [eAudio]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher

Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret - A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Secret Garden - Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Black Beauty - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Wizard of Oz - Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Goosebumps: Welcome to the Dead House - The Passage by Justin Cronin

Esperanza Rising - Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning - Redshirts by John Scalzi

Walk Two Moons - Power by Linda Hogan

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Harriet the Spy - The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook

Betsy-Tacy - Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You by Alice Munro

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark - The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

A Single Shard - The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim [eAudiobook]

The Giver - Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The Little Prince - Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

What do you think of our recommendations? Let us know in the comments!

New & Novel: The Natural World

There are quite a few recent and delightful-looking additions to our library catalog dealing with the natural world - from an "arrestingly unconventional" study of nature (featuring an original typeface created for the book called Qaneq LR, after the Inuktitut word for “falling snow”) to a book detailing the adventures of a man who lived among badgers and other animals to better understand them; another by an author who has "led expeditions on five continents, climbed mountains in three, and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic;" one featuring stunning watercolors by the author of  Le Road Trip; and more! If you are interested in learning more about the world around you, the books listed below offer a bounty of information about various aspects of the nature, some with a more scientific bent, some not so much. We hope you learn something new and have fun doing so!

Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide by Charles Foster
To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the nonhumans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift.  A lyrical, intimate, and completely radical look at the life of animals--human and other--Being a Beast mingles neuroscience and psychology, nature writing and memoir, to cross the boundaries separating the species. It is an extraordinary journey full of thrills and surprises, humor and joy.

An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker 
We don’t just live in the air; we live because of it. It’s the most miraculous substance on earth, responsible for our food, our weather, our water, and our ability to hear. In this exuberant book, gifted science writer Gabrielle Walker peels back the layers of our atmosphere with the stories of the people who uncovered its secrets. [Amazon]

The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals--And Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley  
Now, in The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, Gooley has compiled more than 850 outdoor tips—many not found in any other book in the world—that will open readers’ eyes to nature’s hidden logic. He shares techniques for forecasting and tracking, and for walking in the country or city, along the coast, and by night. This is the ultimate resource on what the land, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and clouds can reveal—if you only know how to look! [Amazon]

Gardens of Awe and Folly: A Traveler's Journal of the Meaning of Life and Gardening by Vivian Swift
An illustrated, round-the-world tour of idiosyncratic gardens from beloved traveler/writer/watercolorist Vivian Swift. 

Thunder & Lightning : Weather Past, Present, Future by Lauren Redniss
From the National Book Award finalist Lauren Redniss, author of Radioactive, comes a dazzling fusion of storytelling, visual art, and reportage that grapples with weather in all its dimensions: its danger and its beauty, why it happens and what it means. 

The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
In The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware... Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him. 

*all descriptions taken from the library catalog unless otherwise noted