Caught Reading: Librarians Edition, September 2017

Do you ever wonder what your favorite librarian is reading? Like our patrons, some librarians have tastes for specific genres or subjects, while others read what they find by chance or recommendations. 

For this edition of Caught Reading, let’s find out what some CPL librarians are reading or have just finished. Their selections range from history to love to politics.

Fiction

The Impossible Fortress: This debut novel set in 1987 follows a high school boy who spends his time playing and programming computer games—until he and his friends launch a scheme involving the Vanna White issue of Playboy magazine. This book is rich with 1980s nostalgia, like Jolt cola and Magnum P.I.

The Girl Who Takes An Eye for An Eye: Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, is back in David Lagercrantz's second installment in the series created by Stieg Larsson. Be ready for another tense and twisting book about a favorite crime-fighter.

Alburquerque: This magical realism novel about a young man's search for identity also explore the culture of New Mexico, making this a wonderful pick for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Nonfiction

Ghetto: In 1516, the Venice city council issued a decree forcing Jews to live in a closed quarter. This scholarly book explores different concepts of "ghetto" from that time through Nazism to the present day, and analyzes its impact on race and poverty in the United States.

Caesar's Last Breath: This popular science title explores the history of air and its gases, as well as the various scientific discoveries that contribute to our understanding of it.

Fur, Fortune, and Empire: Discover the history of the fur trade in America and how it helped shaped our country from colonial times to the 19th century conservation movement. Fans of this book may also enjoy Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, also by Eric Jay Dolin. 

Stamped From the Beginning: The winner of the 2016 National Book Award for nonfiction examines the history and effects of racism in America. Library Journal called the book a "must for serious readers of American history, politics or social thought."