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Call for Artists: 2018
Gallery at SPL
We are delighted to announce Gallery at SPL, a new art exhibition program designed to highlight local artists.
Gallery at SPL
will feature month-long art exhibitions by Somerville artists held at the Central Library. This program will promote the work of Somerville's vibrant and diverse artistic community and make art accessible to all.
Each exhibition will have an opening reception, giving you the opportunity to meet the artists. Finally, Gallery at SPL will allow us to better promote and support those artists exhibiting their work.
- June 2018
- July 2018
- August 2018
- November 2018
- December 2018
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The Photography of Suzanne Hunt Opening Reception
Suzanne Hunt uses photography to document compelling moments at home in Somerville and beyond. In this showing, she shares an eclectic mix of big mountains and small flowers, doggies and babies, and more!
The exhibit can be viewed in the Central Library Auditorium from February 4th to February 26th.
For more information, please contact Julie at [email protected] or 617-623-5000 ext. 2966.
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Let Us Help You Find Your Next Book!
Did you set a reading goal for 2018?
Are you trying to read 25 or even 50 books this year?
Have you joined the
2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge?
We love hearing about your reading goals and want you to know that we are here to help you meet them!
Our librarians are knowledgeable about new books and trends in publishing across genres and
are trained to help you find what you want to read next!
We can assist you at the Reference Desk at the Central Library and at the Service Desks at the East and West Branch Libraries. You can also submit your reading request on our
Ask A Librarian page, e-mail [email protected], or call our Reference Department staff at 617-623-5000 ext. 2950.
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Adult Recommendations
This issue's recommendations come courtesy of Central Library staff members Lilly, Meg, Kevin, and Cassie.
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An atmospheric historical fiction novel from
Pulitzer Prize
winning author, Jennifer Egan,
Manhattan Beach
centers around Anna Kerrigan, a worker at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II, whose father mysteriously disappears. As Anna learns more about her father's disappearance, the reader gets to peek inside the world of New York City gangsters, some of the very first divers, and merchant marine sailors. I found myself drawn in by the mysterious plot, and loved all the historical details.
Recommended by Lilly
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The Dinner Party and Other Stories by Joshua Ferris
In this darkly comic collection, everything happens while nothing happens. A couple sit side by side trying to plan their evening, but inside they're miles from each other emotionally, their relationship spiraling apart. In the title story a husband and wife wait at a table laden with food and wine for guests who never arrive. The evening begins in anxiety and ends in anger and deceit. These stories move surprisingly fast despite their psychological density.
Recommended by Kevin
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If you're looking for a fast, lighthearted read, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a bit of a challenge--a book to savor--this is your book. Beatty manages to write an intriguing and witty satire about "post-racial America". His
narrator, an African American man, decides to try to reintroduce segregation and keep a slave in the neighborhood of Dickens, found just outside of Los Angeles. Winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2016, The Sellout, is perfect for those who like their fiction to make them laugh and learn at the same time.
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YA (Young Adult) Recommendations
This issue's YA recommendations come from Central Library staff members Kevin, Karen, and Cassie.
15-year-old Julia Reyes is the angry, intellectual feminist daughter of undocumented immigrants. Her parents don't understand her at all. She desperately wants to go to college. She wants a way out of the poverty that surrounds her--but she's worried she'll drown in it. This novel is a compelling, messy portrait of an
intelligent teenager flirting with self-destruction.
Recommended by Kevin
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Follow three of the most influential primatologists through the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of their research in this funny and meaningful graphic novel. This read will leave you inspired by both their research and conservation efforts.
Recommended by Cassie
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Sandra Uwiringiyimana shares her story, beginning with her childhood years living in the hills of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, going to school and playing with her siblings and her pet monkey. When she is ten-years-old, her family is forced to flee to a refugee camp where she then survives a massacre. Sandra continues her story as she immigrates to the US, and uses art and activism to process her experiences and trauma.
Recommended by Cassie
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The winner of the fashion competition will receive a one-year scholarship to the local private arts high school. Among the competitors are Charlie Dean, the new girl who is focused on creating a fashion statement every day, and John Thomas-Smith, who doesn't care at all about fashion, but thinks that winning the scholarship would help him with his metalwork. But both Charlie and John are more than they seem. How far will they go to win?
Recommended by Karen
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Children's Recommendations
This issue's recommendations come courtesy of Alison at the West Branch and Karen and Ellen at the Central Library.
My Journey to the Stars by Scott Kelly
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tells the story of his journey from troublemaker to commander of the International Space Station. Combining illustrations and photographs, incredible facts and plenty of emotion, this inspiring story will please readers of all ages.
Recommended by Alison
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This rhyming picture book biography tells the story of Joyce Chen, who emigrated from China to Cambridge in 1949. The egg rolls she brought to her child's school bake sale led to a restaurant, cooking classes, cookbooks, television show, and line of sauces and utensils. With brightly colored illustrations by Katy Wu and a recipe to help you make your own
dumplings,
Dumpling Dreams
combines family, food and local history.
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Traction Man is Here! by Mini Grey
A boy's action figure comes to life and takes on everyday tasks in extraordinary ways. He fights the poisonous dishcloth, adopts a pet scrubbing brush, and whisks the kitchen spoons to safety. An imaginative and fun read for kids!
Recommended by Ellen
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Twelve-year-old Malu (or Maria Luisa if you want to make her mad) likes punk rock and zines and hates cilantro. She's angry at her mom for always trying to remind Malu of her Mexican heritage. She's also angry at her mom for moving her from Florida, where her dad lives above his record store. But her new life in Chicago is not what Malu expected. How can she make friends in middle school and still follow the first rule of punk--be yourself?
Recommended by Karen
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Upgrade to Printing and Scanning Services at All SPL Locations
We are upgrading our printing and scanning services at all Library locations this year. New printers have already been installed in Wellington Hall, the Children's Room, and the Teen Room at the Central Library. New printers are also scheduled to be installed in
both the East Branch and the West Branch in the upcoming months.
Our new multi-functional printers produce
professional-quality color documents and allow for easy document scanning.
Color printing costs 30 cents per page, and black and white printing is 15 cents per page. Document scanning is free. We recommend that you bring a flash drive to save your documents.
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