Hello all!

Image credit: pixabay

With the weather getting colder and the nights getting longer, I feel more and more every day like staying inside and reading a good book. We here at HHSL have assembled our best historical fiction for you if you want to do the same–with a twist! Have you ever looked at one of those BookTok tables in the bookstore and thought–why are all those women facing away from the camera? Maybe our book display won’t answer that question exactly, but it sure will let you explore that very specific sector of historical fiction. So come stop by the Leisure Lounge and check out our selections!

The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus

The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley

The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

The Information Officer by Mark Mills

Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

We’re located on the fourth floor of the library, so stop on by if you want to check out a book, or even if you just want to look at a very specific graphic design trend. Happy reading and happy winter!

Happy fall, everyone!

Despite the recent summery weather, all of us over here at Hirsh are looking forward to sweater weather and, more importantly–Halloween!

We’ve got a few events down the line, but if you’re already excited about Halloween and looking to pregame for a horror movie marathon, come check out our Wretched Reads display in the Hirsh Leisure Lounge. We’ve selected our favorite creepy and not-so-creepy reads, ranging from killer sharks to scary fairy tales. Come and check them out in the Leisure Lounge, where they can be found on display near the printers:

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (a repeat again, we know, but it is a classic)

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories, an Anthology (for some short YA stories)

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (the aforementioned scary fairy tale)

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (less horror, more sci-fi, featuring an adventure in a mysterious and nightmarish world–creepy enough for me)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (because we love Mary Shelley)

Joyland by Stephen King (sorry to Stephen King you twice, but again, for a reason)

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (a creepy and disorienting haunted house book)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (you know we love a vampire)

The Last Seance by Agatha Christie (scary stories from the queen of mystery herself)

World War Z by Max Brooks (for an unconventional take on zombies)

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (more fun than creepy, if you want to read about witches and vampires but don’t want to be too scared)

Jaws by Peter Benchley (big shark! big shark!)

And finally, my personal favorite book of all time: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, the best haunted house novel of all time.

Happy scary reads!

A September to Remember…at the Leisure Lounge!

Hello, and Happy Fall from Hirsh Library!

For September, please visit the Leisure Lounge on the 4th floor and check out our selection of memoirs! Whether you are looking for something action-packed, full of laughs, or thoughtful and contemplative for the cool days of fall, we have books to match any interest.

Here are a few suggestions, which can be found on display by the window (near the printers!):

The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Epic: Stories of Survival from the World’s Highest Peaks by Clint Willis

Suggestions? Recommendations? Let us know!

–Megan Uberti, Collections Assistant

Finding yourself with a lot of extra time this summer? Really looking forward to seeing a movie, but want to read the book first? Feeling like getting some reading in before your Oppenheimer/Barbie double feature?

Come on by the Leisure Lounge and check out our suggestions from recent adaptations to old favorites! You can find the leisure lounge on the fourth floor near the printers, with tons of comfy couches for resting on.

image by petrasolajova on pixabay

Some suggestions from us:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (for a throwback)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (a repeat, we know, but we love her for a reason!)

Howards End by E.M. Forster (for those who love period pieces)

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (you may know it as A Man Called Otto, featuring Tom Hanks)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (for people who always wanted an adult combo of Twilight and Harry Potter)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (another Greta Gerwig creation)

Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice (get started on the Anne Rice extended universe)

Wicked by Gregory Maguire (coming next year, but we can get excited about it now)

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien (whether you liked the old movies or the new show)

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (starring Boston area native Ben Affleck)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (coming later in 2023 and starring Halle Bailey of Little Mermaid fame)

Suggestions? Recommendations? Just let us know.

Happy reading/streaming/movie-going!

Hi everyone!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic (albeit humid) beginning to summer. All of us over here at Hirsh are writing to wish you a safe and fun Fourth of July weekend, with a reminder that over the weekend and on 7/3 we will be open normal hours but will be closed on the day itself, 7/4, so all of us can go out and enjoy the (hopefully nice) weather. We will reopen with our normal hours on Wednesday. If you’re looking for something fun to do on the day itself, check out this article on where to see fireworks and more.

We wish everyone a fun and safe day! Don’t forget sunscreen!

image from pixabay

Happy (unofficial) summer everyone!

Even if you can’t make it to the beach/don’t feel like making it to the beach because of the delightful New England weather we’ve been having, you can still read like you’re at the beach with books from our Leisure Lounge! Whether you’re looking for a good cozy mystery, a true crime thriller, or a book of essays, we have every book you might need for you summer plans. You can find the Leisure Lounge in the leisure reading section on the 4th floor of Hirsh, near the printer and comfy couches.

Image by Majaranda from Pixabay

Here are some of our suggestions, which you can find on display in our Leisure Lounge:

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner

Swamplandia! By Karen Russell

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

If you have any suggestions/recommendations for us to read, let us know!

And happy reading!