News + Notes from Your Library
List of 138 items.
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September 19: Heritage Months at the CSW Library + Chinese Mid-autumn Festival
Heritage months are meant to honor and celebrate marginalized voices--think Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian + Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabled, and Jewish as examples. The CSW Library regularly creates thematic displays that center authors and protagonists that represent these identities. However, they often don't move off the display and into curious hands,Over the past year, we have been trying something new. While we always center ANY thematic display around a wide-variety of authors and voices, we are asking you to consider this idea: one author, several texts. Our challenge for you? When heritage months roll around, or in any month for that matter, meet our challenge: pick up the author we are featuring and just...read what they have to say.This month, in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month (observed annually from Sept 15 - Oct 15), check out the work of trans, Latinx fantasy writer, Aiden Thomas. A New York Times bestselling author from Oakland, California, they have an MFA in creative writing from Mills College. Some of their well-known books include Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods. On display through the month on the library mantle and here digitally.Hungry for mooncakes? These stories feature celebrations of the Chinese mid-autumn festival and many of them may leave you feeling magical, or just hungry. On display the left of the library mantle and digitally here.
As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. -
September 12: Library Display + Panini Pressed
Stories featuring strong-minded, ambitious protagonists with agendas to set. On display the left of the library mantle and digitally here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.Stories that feature jealousy or characters who don't act pressed but really are. On display on the library mantle and digitally here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. -
September 5, 2024: Get familiar with the Library!
Welcome to a new year. Please feel free to familiarize yourself with answers to common questions about the CSW Library and how to identify the support you need.
The CSW Library is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please note we close slightly earlier on Friday (4:15 p.m.). Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to us at library@csw.org or learn more about your library staff here.It's never too late for a fresh start. As we begin a new school year, check out these books with protagonists who are starting anew. On display at the front of the library and here, digitally.
As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. -
May 23: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THEIR VICIOUS GAMES by JOELLE WELLINGTONWHAT IT'S ABOUTA Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes aren’t just high, they’re deadly, in this searing thriller that’s Ace of Spades meets Squid Game with a sprinkling of The Bachelor.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 30, 2024: Summer Reading Guide + CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
As we near summer break, the CSW Library reminds you of the numerous offerings around finding pleasure reads for time away from school (students are required to read one summer pick with their advisory group but we encourage students to engage with more than one book this summer). We have a genre reading guide (featuring tags students have asked for–YA, LGBTQ+ romance, Read This! recs from their peers) for those that like tons of options or particularly like to read in a category. In addition, we offer a Minimalist Reading Guide for students who may feel overwhelmed by a larger list. This offers a pick from each academic department on campus. Budding artist? Consider the art department’s recommendation. Budding scientist? Check out their pick. We have a comprehensive landing page that features these lists, as well as other curated collections we’ve built all year to get you excited about summer reading.Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna Wolf, at jwolf@csw.orgEXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Kaylee Sayers, CSW’s Admissions Coordinator, it’s all about avoiding prescribed reading. Toss out all those “should reads” and “classics” and embrace books for any age–at any age. Kaylee reminds us not to “... be afraid to reread or seek out books whose market age group is no longer your age group. I’m 23 and I still reread the Percy Jackson series every now and then because I loved it so much when I was younger!"
Check out Kaylee’s picks here and consider maybe adding them to your summer reading list!READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AY MIJA!: MY BILINGUAL SUMMER IN MEXICO by CHRISTINE SUGGSWHAT IT'S ABOUTSixteen-year-old Christine takes their first solo trip to Mexico to spend a few weeks with their grandparents and tía. At first, Christine struggles to connect with family they don’t yet share a language with. Seeing the places their mom grew up—the school she went to, the café where she had her first date with their father—Christine becomes more and more aware of the generational differences in their family.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection and on ebook. -
May 16: Ships Ahoy Library Display + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAll the ships! In space! Brought to you by our Library Ambassador Matilda '24!On display at the library front and available virtually here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.IT’S LONELY AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH by ZOE THOROGOODWHAT IT'S ABOUTCartoonist Zoe Thorogood records 6 months of her own life as it falls apart in a desperate attempt to put it back together again in the only way she knows how.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection.This selection is in observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, held annually in May. -
May 9: AAPI Heritage Month Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREMay is AAPI Heritage Month and the CSW Library is highlighting stories from Filipino authors. This selection features both realistic YA fiction that speaks to the Filipino diaspora, as well as some memoir and graphic memoir. On display at the front of the library through the month of May, and available here digitally.
As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.IMOGEN, OBVIOUSLY by BECKY ALBERTALLIWHAT IT'S ABOUTImogen may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down. And when she visits her best friend, Lili, at college who is newly-out, newly-graduated, and newly thriving, with a cool new squad of queer college friends, no one knows that Imogen’s a raging hetero – not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa. The more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
This selection is in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month, which is observed annually in May. See our collection featuring author Becky Albertalli here. This book of the week feature was written by CSW Library Ambassador Matilda Leighton '24. -
May 2: Jewish Heritage Month Author Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of our heritage month author spotlight series, we ask you to explore the works of one author and their collective body of work. May is Jewish Heritage Month. Becky Albertalli is the author of “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” winner of the 2015 William C. Morris award and the basis for the 2018 film Love, Simon. Her other works in the Simonverse series include “The Upside of Unrequited,” “Leah of the Offbeat” and the newest installment, “Love, Creekwood: A Simonverse Novella.” Albertalli is a former clinical psychologist who specialized in work with LGBTQ teens and gender nonconforming children. Her recent book, with Aisha Saeed, is "Yes No Maybe So".On display at the library mantle and available virtually here, through the month.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MY FATHER, THE PANDA KILLER by JAMIE JO HOANGWHAT IT'S ABOUTA poignant coming-of-age story told in two alternating voices: a California teenager railing against Vietnamese culture, juxtaposed with her father as an eleven-year-old boat person on a harrowing and traumatic refugee journey from Vietnam to the United States.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis selection is in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, observed annually in May. -
April 25: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE TWENTY ONE by ELIZABETH RUSCHWHAT IT'S ABOUTCompelling and timely, award-winning author Elizabeth Rusch’s The Twenty-One tells the gripping inside story of the ongoing landmark federal climate change lawsuit, Juliana vs. United States of America.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis selection is in celebration of Earth Day, which happens annually at the end of April. This year, CSW welcomes Our Children's Trust, which is the organization that helped bring the lawsuit featured in this book. -
April 18: Social Justice Day Library Display + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe theme for Social Justice Day 2024 is Gun Violence and Legislation. Formerly known as Law Day, Social Justice Day was established in 1975 by Shirley and Roger Feldman in memory of their son, Michael Feldman '67. The event explores various viewpoints on important legal and social issues of the day, creating opportunities for student discussion and debate, as well as guest speakers and presentations.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.TIME IS A MOTHER by OCEAN VUONGWHAT IT'S ABOUTVuong contends with the meaning of family and the cost of being the product of an American war in America. At once vivid, brave, and propulsive, these poems circle fragmented lives to find both restoration as well as the epicenter of the break.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection.This selection is in celebration of National Poetry Month, observed annually in April. -
April 11: Center Stage + Book of the Week
EXPLORECheck out these stories about performers--musicians, singers, actors, etc.--and their pursuit of recognition and fame. On display to the left of the mantle through the mod and available virtually here. Find a book that takes center stage in your life this month!As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.I MISS YOU, I HATE THIS by SARA SAEDIWHAT IT'S ABOUTBest friends Parisa Naficy and Gabriela Gonzales grapple with the complexities of their relationship even while they spend their senior year apart due to a pandemic that disproportionately affects young people.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis selection is in celebration of Arab American Heritage Month, observed annually in April. It's also featured in our latest collection celebrating Arab American authors. -
April 4: Arab American Heritage Month + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
April is Arab American Heritage Month! During this time, we celebrate Arab Americans throughout the past and present, and recognize their invaluable contributions to our literary landscape. Of particular note are authors who continue to challenge and dismantle bigotry and stereotypes about Arab people–like Samira Ahmed, Adib Khorram, and Abdi Nazemian. On display at the front of the library and virtually here through the month.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE NEXT NEW SYRIAN GIRL by REAM SHUKAIRYWHAT IT'S ABOUTWhen their worlds collide, Khadija Shami, a sheltered Syrian American high school senior with a monstrous ego, and Leene Tahir, a Syrian refugee doing her best to survive school and family pressures while battling panic attacks, become the unlikeliest of friends.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
March 28: CSW Spotlight Andon Van Colen ‘25 + Book of the Week
READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Andon Van Colen ‘25, it’s all about finding a cozy spot to curl up with a good book. Andon believes “everyone should be able to read a truly life changing book at least once” and suggests students who struggle to kickstart their reading lives should buddy up with a friend and read the same title so they can talk about the book. Check out some of Andon’s favorite picks, which run the range of historical fiction about WWII to found family, LGTBQ+ realistic fiction, and even some gore!Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AS YOU WALK ON BY by JULIAN WINTERSWHAT IT'S ABOUTSeventeen-year-old Theo Wright has it all figured out. His plan (well, more like his dad's plan) is a foolproof strategy that involves excelling at his magnet school, getting scouted by college recruiters, and going to Duke on athletic scholarship. But for now, all Theo wants is a perfect prom night. A YA-romcom that feels like The Breakfast Club meets Can't Hardly Wait!GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
March 7: Women's History Month + Book of the Week
EXPLOREDive into historical worlds alongside these heroines in preparation for Women’s History Month. Curated by 2024 library ambassador, Andon Van Colen '25, find these titles at the front of the library through the month of March, and available digitally, here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS by CAROLINA IXTAWHAT IT'S ABOUTThis book is an expansion on a 2022 exhibition called In the Black Fantastic from London Hayward Gallery.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection and available on audio. -
February 29: Zero Romance Reads + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAre you over the drama/low-key trauma of Valentine's Day? These stories have zero romance.On display in the library to the left of the mantle through the end of the month and virtually here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC by EKOW ESHUNWHAT IT'S ABOUTThis book is an expansion on a 2022 exhibition called In the Black Fantastic from London Hayward Gallery.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection.This book of the week feature is curated and written by 2024 CSW Library Ambassador Andon Van Colen '25 in celebration of Black History Month 2024–the theme is African Americans in the arts. -
February 22: CSW Reading Spotlight + Book of the Week
READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Bella Camargo ‘25, it’s all about finding perspectives and genres that make you want to read. She’s a firm believer in slogging through a book because “it’s better to be disappointed than to be left questioning.” Check out some of Bella’s picks, which include classics and dark academia novels and perhaps you’ll find your next read in one of her favorites.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MUTED by TAMI CHARLES
WHAT IT'S ABOUTLiz Montague’s graphic memoir about becoming an artist, starting with growing up post 9-11 all the way to becoming a cartoonist for the New York Times.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, as well as in ebook and audiobook.This book of the week feature is curated and written by 2024 CSW Library Ambassador Andon Van Colen '25 in celebration of Black History Month 2024–the theme is African Americans in the arts. -
February 15: Black History Month + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
As part of our heritage month author spotlight series, we ask you to explore the works of one author and their collective body of work. February is Black History Month. Crime-noir writer S.A. Cosby has the ability to tell a spine-tingling story while infusing it with themes of social justice. Sheriff Titus Crown, the protagonist of All Sinner’s Bleed, is one of your librarian’s favorite characters. We urge you to explore some of his works this month, on display at the library mantle through the month. A note to our readers: S.A. Cosby’s work is gritty; some of the depictions are graphic. Consider this when reading.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MAYBE AN ARTIST by LIZ MONTAGUEWHAT IT'S ABOUTLiz Montague’s graphic memoir about becoming an artist, starting with growing up post 9-11 all the way to becoming a cartoonist for the New York Times.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, as well as in ebook.This book of the week feature is curated and written by 2024 CSW Library Ambassador Andon Van Colen '25 in celebration of Black History Month 2024–the theme is African Americans in the arts. -
February 8: True crime, murder mysteries + Book of the Week
EXPLORETrue crime, murder mysteries. You know, for the fans. On display at the library front through the month of February, and here. a note: some of these stories depict real life violence or may contain gore; please proceed with caution or ask a librarian to help you find the right reading experience for youAs a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.PUNCHING THE AIR by IBI ZOBOI + YUSEF SALAAMWHAT IT'S ABOUTYoung artist and poet Amal Shahid is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and found guilty, he finds himself in prison using his art to tell his truth.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature is curated and written by 2024 CSW Library Ambassador Andon Van Colen '25 in celebration of Black History Month 2024–the theme is African Americans in the arts. -
February 1: Top Books + Book of the Week
EXPLOREEach January, the American Librarian Association announces their picks for the top books, digital media, video and audio books for children and young adults. On display at the front library window through the month of February and available digitally here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.WOLFSONG by TJ KLUNE
WHAT IT'S ABOUTThis book follows Oxnard Matheson as he grows up next to the Bennetts, a family of werewolves. Over a number of years, and through one murder, Ox and Joe Bennett grow closer and heal together.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection.This book of the week feature is curated and written by 2024 CSW Library Ambassador Andon Van Colen '25 -
January 25: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.FAMILY STYLE by THIEN PHAM
WHAT IT'S ABOUTTold through the lens of meaningful food and meals, this graphic memoir chronicles the author's [life], beginning with his childhood immigration to America, where food takes on new meaning as he and his family search for belonging, for happiness and for the American dream.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection and on ebook. -
January 18: CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Fia Polyak ‘26, it’s all about having a bunch of books going–if she gets bored of one, she most definitely needs a spare. Fia loves reading by a lake in New Hampshire, is a Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (by Holly Jackson) STAN, and hopes one day she can create a reading life that’s consistent. Check out some of Fia’s great picks here.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BLOOD SNOW by dg okpik
WHAT IT'S ABOUTdg okpik’s second collection of poems, Blood Snow, tells a continuum story of a homeland under erasure, in an ethos of erosion, in a multitude of encroaching methane, ice floe, and rising temperatures. Here, in a true Inupiaq voice, okpik’s relationship to language is an access point for understanding larger kinships between animals, peoples, traditions, histories, ancestries, and identities.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
January 11: Books We Pretend We've Read + Book of the Week
EXPLOREWe’ve all been there. Books that are on our TBR pile and yet, there they remain. Forgotten about. Passed over for something new and shiny. Sort of a burden? Or maybe too many pages? Or missed in school? Whatever the reason, they remain books we haven’t yet completed.
But many have read them–perhaps this year, a new year, 2024, is the time to finally take the plunge.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE ART THIEF by MICHAEL FINKELWHAT IT'S ABOUTThe true story of art thief Stéphane Breitwiser and his girlfriend, and how they managed to seize over 200 works of art--estimated to be worth $2 billion total. In an unusual twist, Breitwieser never stole for money; instead he set up secret rooms where he could display the works of art where he could admire them. His talent in thievery caused him to develop a lack of regard for consequences and risks, and ignored his loved ones' pleas for him to end his time as a thief.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
December 20: Page Turners You May Have Missed + Book of the Week
EXPLOREGrab one before the year is out! On location by the mantle and digitally here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THIS WINTER: A HEARTSTOPPER NOVELLA by ALICE OSEMANI>
WHAT IT'S ABOUTTori Spring and her brother, Charlie, face some difficulties during the holiday season.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
December 14: Cozy Vibes in the Library + CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREWhen the stakes aren’t too high in your reading life. Gentle stories, immersive worlds, characters to champion, some LOLs, and little to no stress. So get comfy and pick up one of these reads. On location at the front through this month and digitally here.
As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.Ellie Weitzman-Kurker ‘26, it’s all about cozying up with the dogs and settling into a good book. Ellie loves a good mystery novel, particularly with a serious plot twist, and isn’t shy about expressing how many times she’s re-read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Check out her picks and consider grabbing one of her favorites as your next read.
Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.HOW TO EXCAVATE A HEART by JAKE MAIA ARLOWWHAT IT'S ABOUTSnowy weather and fish fossils help bring together two Jewish college freshmen spending winter break in Washington, D.C.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, as well as on ebook and audio. -
December 7: CSW Readathon Stats + Book of the Week
DOCheck out the amazing stats from last Saturday’s annual CSW Readathon, hosted by the CSW Library. We had 45 students, faculty, staff, and their children and spouses join us for an epic 12 hours of reading. 12 students braved all 12 hours and 8 embraced more than 6 hours. Special shout out to Andon Van Colen ‘25, who successfully completed their second straight Readathon at CSW for a total of 24 hours of reading in two years. Bravo!Thank you to all that came out and supported the library and the joy of reading. We can’t wait to see you next year. Keep reading!Fore more information on the Readathon and to check out last year’s stats as compared to this year, please visit our landing page.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BOOKSHOPS AND BONEDUST by TRAVIS BALDREEWHAT IT'S ABOUTViv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk--so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it. What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do? Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
November 30: Reading Spotlight + Read-a-Thon + Book of the Week
READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Val Gorrell ‘25, it’s all about getting back into a reading rhythm by finding books that really speak to you. Val loves finding books that are a blend of horror with queer and disabled characters that really sparks their interest and has them up binge reading late in the night. Val shares some favorite picks (which don’t feature a ton of happy go lucky or beach reads!) and reminds folks about finding books you may enjoy through social media and talking to friends.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org.
DOWHAT IS IT? The CSW Readathon is an intentional day for students who LOVE reading to come together and celebrate in that joy. For 12 hours, students will engage in all types of pleasure reading. Bring what you want to read and simply read amongst like minded peers, faculty, and staff. We simply ask that you engage in just that: reading for pleasure. Please leave homework at home. Reading can include physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, webtoons, magazines, newspapers, and more. There will be snacks, games and prizes. Last year, 9 students completed all 12 hours of reading! Come nourished from brunch; we will provide dinner to participants.WHEN IS IT? Saturday, December 2, 2023. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the CSW LibraryFor more information, please visit the landing page or reach out to library director Jenna at jwolf@csw.org
READ
REZ BALL BY BYRON GRAVES
WHAT IT'S ABOUTThese days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team--even though he can't help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
November 16: CSW Read-a-Thon + Familial Connections + Book of the Week
DOAttend the annual CSW Readathon, open to all faculty/staff (+ their families), and students.
WHAT IS IT? The CSW Readathon is an intentional day for students who LOVE reading to come together and celebrate in that joy. For 12 hours, students will engage in all types of pleasure reading. Bring what you want to read and simply read amongst like minded peers, faculty, and staff. We simply ask that you engage in just that: reading for pleasure. Please leave homework at home. Reading can include physical books, ebooks, audiobooks, webtoons, magazines, newspapers, and more. There will be snacks, games and prizes. Last year, 9 students completed all 12 hours of reading! Come nourished from brunch; we will provide dinner to participants.WHEN IS IT? Saturday, December 2, 2023. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the CSW LibraryFor more information, please visit the landing page or reach out to library director Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgEXPLORETis' the season for family gatherings. Explore these stories where familial relationships are at the center. On display at the library front through the month and here, digitally.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BAD CREE: ÂCIMOWIN by JESSICA JOHNSWHAT IT'S ABOUTA young Cree woman is tormented by vivid dreams from before her sister's untimely death and wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands before returning to her rural hometown in Alberta seeking answers.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
November 9: Native American Heritage Month + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of our heritage month author spotlight series, we ask you to explore the works of one author and their collective body of work. November is Native American Heritage Month. Indigenous horror has exploded in the last few years and Stephen Graham Jones is kind of the godfather of this explosion. Stephen King once remarked he wished he had written one of Graham Jones' works. On display on the mantle and digitally, here, through the month of November.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED by ANGELINE BOULLEYWHAT IT'S ABOUTWith the rising number of missing Indigenous women, her family's involvement in a murder investigation, and grave robbers profiting off her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry takes matters into her own hands to solve the mystery and reclaim her people's inheritance.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
November 2: Fairytales + Book of the Week
EXPLOREFairy tales for the modern world. Including those based on legends, reimaginings, and even graphic interpretations. On display at the library front through November.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MAN MADE MONSTERS by ANDREA L. ROGERSWHAT IT'S ABOUTHaunting illustrations are woven throughout these horror stories that follow one extended Cherokee family across the centuries and well into the future as they encounter predators of all kinds in each time period.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, and in ebook and audio. -
October 26: Short Stories + Book of the Week
EXPLORELike to dip in and out of a story? Maybe a collection of short stories is for you. On display at the fiction flats, do check out some of the stories we are pushing right now–from trans magic to Afro Futurism, the reimagining of Asian myth, and even Native Hawaiian feminist perspectives–all with a touch of magic.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.I FEED HER TO THE BEAST by JAMISON SHEAWHAT IT'S ABOUTLaure Mesny is a perfectionist with an ax to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
October 19: LBGTQ+ History Month + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of LGBTQ+ History Month--celebrated annually in October--we explore the role and contributions of LBTQ+ artists to the world of film and television. Check out the collection on display at the library mantle through the month and here digitally.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MASTERS OF DEATH by OLIVIE BLAKE
WHAT IT'S ABOUTViola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the mansion has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
October 12: Supernatural Elements Display + Book of the Week
EXPLOREDo you enjoy stories with supernatural elements? Check out our library display featuring spooky stories with unnatural elements, located next to the mantle through the month of October.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BLACKWATER by JEANNETTE ARROYO
WHAT IT'S ABOUTRiverdale meets Stranger Things in this debut queer YA graphic novel, developed from a hit webcomic. Set in the haunted town of Blackwater, Maine, two boys fall for each other as they dig for clues to a paranormal mystery.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, and on ebook. -
October 5: Read Banned Books + Reads Featuring the Undead + Book of the Week
DORead about Banned Books Week, which is being observed October 1 - October 7, 2023 and aims to spread awareness about challenged and banned books in school and public libraries. As part of this work, librarians across the country advocate for the freedom to read. At CSW, we are fortunate to have many of the books frequently challenged and banned. Want to learn more about various libraries fighting against these challenges? Explore the Brooklyn Public Library’s Unbanned Books Project and its latest partnership with the Boston Public Library. Stop by the library to see some of the facts and figures on banned and challenge materials, explore our collection of frequently challenged titles, and pick up a Read Banned Books pin in support of your library. Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna, at jwolf@csw.orgEXPLOREIt's spooky season. For all you zombies out there, check out these reads featuring the undead. On display at the small library display in front through the month of October.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE WITCH OWL PARLIAMENT by DAVID BOWLESWHAT IT’S ABOUTResurrected by her brother using a forbidden combination of alchemy and engineering, apprentice curandera Cristina vows to protect the Republic of Santander against the lechuzas terrorizing immigrants and plaguing the country. A brilliant steampunk reimagining of Frankenstein set in colonial Mexico.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection, and on ebook.This book is in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month 2023, celebrated annually September 15 - October 15. -
September 28: Heart Stoppers + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAre you a fan of the graphic novel and Netflix series Heart Stopper? Your library happens to have almost every book featured in the hands of Isaac during season 2 of the series. Check them out here and on display at the front of the library through the end of the mod.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LUCHA OF THE NIGHT FOREST by TEHLOR KAY MEJIA
WHAT IT'S ABOUTOne girl caught between the freedom she always wanted and a sister she can't bear to leave behind. Under the cover of the Night Forest, will Lucha be able to step into her own power...or will she be consumed by it? This gorgeous and fast-paced fantasy novel is brimming with adventure, peril, romance, and family bonds--and asks what it means for a teen girl to become fully herself.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month 2023, celebrated annually September 15 - October 15. -
September 21: Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month + Book of the Week
EXPLOREIn celebration of Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), the CSW Library is asking you to dip into the works of one Latinx author and familiarize yourself with the beauty of their work. Zoraida Córdova has written more than two dozen novels and short stories, including The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, Valentina Salazar Is Not a Monster Hunter, and Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence. Her 2016 novel Labyrinth Lost, book one in the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy, won an International Latino Book Award. She’s the editor of the SFF anthology, Reclaim the Stars.Heritage months are meant to honor and celebrate marginalized voices--think Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian + Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabled, and Jewish as examples. While we always center ANY thematic display around a wide-variety of authors and voices, we are asking you to consider a new idea: one author, several texts. Our challenge for you? When heritage months roll around, or in any month for that matter, meet our challenge: pick up the author we are featuring and just...read what they have to say. In earnestness, your libraryAs a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BINDLE PUNK BRUJA by DESIDERIA MESAWHAT IT'S ABOUTHiding her supernatural and Latina identity in pursuit of owning an illegal jazz club, Rose negotiates with dangerous criminals as she climbs up Kansas City's bootlegging ladder, but when she finds herself surrounded by greed and bigotry, she must use her earth magic to save her friends and family.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available to check out from our physical collection. -
September 14: From Streaming to Reading + Book of the Week
EXPLORESpent the summer streaming? Perhaps now it's time for some reading. Check out these books that inspired popular streaming shows and movies.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE WICKED BARGAIN by GABE COLE NOVOAWHAT IT'S ABOUTSixteen-year-old Mar, a transmasculine Latinx pirate hiding magical abilities, must learn to use their magic to save their papá and newfound pirate family from losing their souls to El Diablo.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
September 7: New Year, New Collections + Book of the Week
EXPLOREStarting a new year is filled with hope and possibilities. Explore these stories in which teen protagonists make connections– all while they dive into new situations and attempt to figure themselves out. Check out the collection here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ONLY THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT by ABDI NASEMIANWHAT IT'S ABOUTSet against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this sweeping intergenerational story, examining queer identity at the end of different decades, follows three boys in the same Iranian family as they each gain a new understanding of their history, culture--and themselves.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
August 30: Welcome to a new year! + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
Welcome to a new year. Please feel free to familiarize yourself with answers to common questions about the CSW Library and how to identify the support you need.The CSW Library is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please note we close slightly earlier on Friday (4:15 p.m.). Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to us at library@csw.org or learn more about your library staff here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ENTER THE BODY BY JOY MCCULLOUGH
WHAT IT'S ABOUTIn the room beneath a stage’s trapdoor, Shakespeare’s dead teenage girls compare their experiences and retell the stories of their lives, theirloves, and their fates in their own words. Bestselling author Joy McCullough offers a brilliant testament to how young women can support each other and reclaim their stories in the aftermath of trauma.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 25: Queer Jewish Stories + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
May is Jewish Heritage Month. The CSW Library is celebrating by exploring stories at the intersection of being Jewish and LGBTQ+. Included here are romantic stories with happy endings and historical stories–all keeping queer, Jewish protagonists at the center. On display next to the library mantle through the month of May, and available digitally here. Featured artwork by 2023 Library Ambassador Olivia Martinez-Moule ‘24.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
WHAT STORM WHAT THUNDER by MYRIAM J.A. CHANCYQUICK TAKEAt the end of a long, sweltering day, as markets and businesses begin to close for the evening, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shakes the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Award-winning author Myriam J. A. Chancy masterfully charts the inner lives of the characters affected by the disaster.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
May 18: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
BABEL by R.F. KUANGQUICK TAKEA Chinese boy orphaned by cholera and raised in Britain is trained to work at Oxford's prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, the world's center for translation and magic through silver-working, where he must choose between competing loyalties.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 11: AAPI Heritage Month + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month (Asian American Pacific Islander), we bring you memoirs that speak to the rich, and vast, experiences of AAPI folks. Memoirs differ from autobiographies in that they are nonfiction narrative writings based on the author's personal memories - this format is not bound to formal expectations, rather the author using their life experiences in service of a larger theme. Please check out our recommendations here and on display at the front windows in the library through May.Artwork by 2023 Library Ambassador Olivia Martinez-Moule ‘24As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME? by CARMEN RITA WONGQUICK TAKEAn immigrant mother’s long-held secrets upend her daughter’s understanding of her family, her identity, and her place in the world in this powerful and dramatic memoir.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
May 4: Highlighting AAPI Authors + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
Rebecca F. Kuang is the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy and Babel: An Arcane History, as well as the forthcoming Yellowface. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.
As part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI), consider picking up some of R.F. Kuang's exceptional work as part of our Author Spotlight Series, which highlights one author and their body of work for the celebrated month.*See more authors in our spotlight series here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
ONE OF THE GOOD ONES BY MAIKA + MARITZA MOULITEQUICK TAKEOn her 18th birthday, Kezi Smith attends a protest and subsequently dies in police custody. When an idealized image of her circulates through social media as another victim of police brutality, her sister Happi begins to question why only certain people are deemed worthy to be missed. As she embarks on a journey to honor Kezi, a surprising twist is revealed that changes everything Happi thought she knew about her sister.GOOD TO KNOW
This book is part of the CSW Library’s celebration of Haitian Heritage Month, celebrated annually in May. This Book of the Week selection was curated by 2023 Library Ambassador, Olivia Martinez-Moule ‘24. -
April 27: Poetry Month + Celebrating AAPI Authors
EXPLORE
Poetry collections for when the worst has already happened--in celebration of Poetry Month, observed annually in April. On display by the non fiction stacks through the end of the month. Happy reading?As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.EXPLORE
Explore our picks for May’s prompt of the CSW Library Reading Challenge. In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, the CSW Library is recommending books by AAPI authors that celebrate the vast and rich experiences of AAPI peoples. We have so much to choose from–but the CSW library is highlighting four books that speak to those rich experiences: a story of found family, a gap year trip to India, a piece of literary fiction that explores elements of magical realism, and a brand new, neo noir science fiction novel with plenty of time travel! We have even more titles you can consider in this collection.What will you pick? Don’t forget to record what you read in the tracker (we only have one month to go! And Jenna will be asking for your titles soon) provided here–and remember to grab more information here. Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna at jwolf@csw.org -
April 20: Reading Spotlight + Book of the Week
READ
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Harvey Li ‘24, it’s all about finding books you want to read now that you can understand and learn something new from. Harvey loves to read on a rainy day and reminds everyone it’s ok to abandon a book for later if you can’t give it the time, energy, or understand its meaning properly. Check out his wide ranging picks here, including some Japanese and Chinese texts. Harvey inspires a love for reading in all he does–he helped jumpstart the CSW Library’s Mandarin books collection, which launched this year to promote pleasure reading in a student’s native language. That collection, as well as other texts in various languages spoken on campus, will continue to grow thanks to Harvey’s initial support in identifying titles our students may want to read.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
MAN o' WAR by CORY MCCARTHYQUICK TAKEOn a field trip to SeaPlanet, seventeen-year-old Arab-American high school swimmer River McIntyre has a chance encounter with Indy, a happy, healthy queer person, which sets off a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized homophobia and gender dysphoria, through layers of coming out, affirmation surgery, and true love.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTIn recognition of Arab American Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually in April. See our Author Spotlight Series featuring Samira Ahmed and explore this book by trans, Arab American author Cory McCarthy -
April 13: Author Spotlight + Reproductive Justice + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library is thinking a bit differently this year about Heritage month displays. Heritage months are meant to honor and celebrate marginalized voices--think Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian + Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabled, and Jewish as examples. The CSW library often creates thematic displays that center authors and protagonists that represent these identities. However, they sometimes don't move off the display and into curious hands.So this year, we are trying something new.While we always center ANY thematic display around a wide-variety of authors and voices, we are asking you to consider a new idea: one author, several texts. Our challenge for you? When heritage months roll around, or in any month for that matter, meet our challenge: pick up the author we are featuring and just...read what they have to say.For Arab American Heritage Month, we are featuring best selling YA author Samira Ahmed, who has published both realistic fiction novels geared towards young people, as well as short stories in anthologies. Check out her work here.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.EXPLOREEach spring, CSW holds an annual school-wide event known as the Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day. Formerly known as Law Day, the event was established in 1975 by Shirley and Roger Feldman in memory of their son, Michael Feldman ’67. The event explores various viewpoints on important legal and social issues of the day, creating opportunities for student discussion and debate, as well as guest speakers and presentations.
Reproductive justice is an important contemporary issue for emerging young adults to explore as we are witnessing more and more states debating legislation that impacts reproductive rights. Through CSW’s annual Social Justice Day, our community explored the implications of this legislation and worked to dispel misconceptions, spread awareness about, and destigmatize aspects of reproductive health, while also examining disparities across populations. Please explore the CSW Library’s collection as we continue to deepen our understanding of this topic after SJD 2023.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
RED CLOCKS by LENI ZUMASQUICK TAKEAbortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo. Five very different women navigate these new barriers alongside age-old questions surrounding motherhood, identity, and freedom.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in the library collection.In support of Social Justice Day 2023: Reproductive Justice. See other resources here to extend the learning for the day. -
April 6: National Poetry Month + Book of the Week
EXPLOREIn recognition of National Poetry Month, consider reading a novel in verse. Highlighting diverse characters, identities, and genres, this collection will help you find just the right book.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read..WHEN WE MAKE IT by ELISABET VALASQUEZQUICK TAKESarai uses verse to navigate the strain of family traumas and the systemic pressures of toxic masculinity and housing insecurity in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn, questioning the society around her, her Boricua identity, and the life she lives.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
March 30: CSW Reading Challenge + Book of the Week
EXPLOREExplore our picks for April’s prompt of the CSW Library Reading Challenge. In celebration of books ‘going viral’, the CSW Library is recommending challenge participants read a novel popularized on #booktok, the reading reviews arm of popular social media app, TikTok.
Our own 2023 CSW Library Ambassador Matilda Leighton ‘24 researched and selected a handful of titles that have ‘had a moment’ on tiktok. Think books that make you #uglycry or #bringthetissues or leave you with a mindblowing #plottwist. The CSW Library selected 4 titles to give extra consideration–they feature an LGBTQ+ dystopia, as well as a social justice thriller, realistic fiction about mental health and trauma, and of course, a retelling of classic Greek mythology that flies off the shelves here at CSW.What will you pick? Don’t forget to record what you read in the tracker provided here–and remember to grab more information and consider signing up if you haven’t already. Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AT SEA by EMMA FEDOR*QUICK TAKEWhat happens when the man you love most in the world—who may be lying about everything—unexpectedly disappears and takes your small child with him?GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection.*This debut novel is by our own marketing and communications director, Emma Fedor. Congratulate Emma if you see her around campus and pick up her novel from the CSW Library. -
March 23: Women’s History Month + CSW Reading Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of Women’s History Month, the CSW Library is featuring some newer titles which feature women and girls exploring, discovering, analyzing and envisioning the world as it is, and as it could be. Please check out the collection here; on display through the month of March at the front of the library.READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Lachlan DeAtley ‘24, reading is a passion. He regularly reads multiple books at once and attempts to set up a vague planning for reading so he can get to the exhaustive TBR (to be read) pile he has. Lachlan loves curling up with a good book, a cat on his lap, and a warm drink. He stresses the importance of always carrying a book around with you to squeeze in some pages in the margins and loves a good library to plop down and sink into a book. Discover a bit more about Lachlan’s reading life and perhaps pick up something he’s recommending!Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.TRUE BIZ by SARA NOVICQUICK TAKE"True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history final, and have doctors, politicians, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, cochlear implants and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy."True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history final, and have doctors, politicians, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, cochlear implants and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook and audio. -
March 2: Disability Stories + Book of the Week
EXPLOREExplore our picks for March’s prompt of the CSW Library Reading Challenge. In celebration of Disability Awareness Month 2023, the CSW Library is recommending challenge participants read a story that centers the disabled experience.We have a selection of books in the library collection for you to consider and are highlighting four texts that are excellent examples of stories that center the disability experience: joyful fiction with romantic elements and a happy ending, a collection of short stories written by disabled authors, a memoir about the deaf experience, and even a book that explores how to be the best ally you can to disabled friends, peers, and more. This is just a starting place--we have so much more in the collection linked above.What will you pick? Don’t forget to record what you read in the tracker provided here–and remember to grab more information and consider signing up if you haven’t already. Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN by NATALIA SYLVESTER
QUICK TAKEVerónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
February 23: Exploring the Work of Writer Tiffany D. Jackson + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library is thinking a bit differently this year about Heritage month displays. Heritage months are meant to honor and celebrate marginalized voices--think Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian + Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabled, and Jewish as examples. The CSW library often creates thematic displays that center authors and protagonists that represent these identities. However, they sometimes don't move off the display and into curious hands.
So this year, we are trying something new.While we always center ANY thematic display around a wide-variety of authors and voices, we are asking you to consider a new idea: one author, several texts. Our challenge for you? When heritage months roll around, or in any month for that matter, meet our challenge: pick up the author we are featuring and just...read what they have to say.For Black History Month ‘23, explore the work of writer Tiffany D. Jackson, a decorated writer whose stories always explore social justice issues, how systems fail her protagonists, and frankly discusses power and privilege. Her latest two works feature the Black experience through the lens of sociological horror. On display at the library fireplace mantle through February.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD by TIFFANY D. JACKSON
QUICK TAKEAuthor Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
February 16: A Romance Display Featuring Black Protagonists + Book of the Week
EXPLOREFeeling the love this month? Check out our latest romance display featuring Black protagonists. Stories include a novel that takes place over the course of a single day, LGBTQ+ Black love, gentrification, immigration, and more. On display in front of the library nonfiction stacks through the month of February. If you are participating in the CSW Reading Challenge, these selections are a great place to look if you are still trying to identify a title that resonates with you.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.SIMONE BREAKS ALL THE RULES by DEBBIE RIGAUDQUICK TAKESimone Thibodeaux is about to switch things up. Check her life: It's sealed in a boy-proof container. Her Haitian immigrant parents send Simone to an all-girls high school and enforce strict no-dating rules. As for prom? Simone is allowed to go on one condition: Her parents will select her date (a boy from a nice, Haitian immigrant family, obviously). Simone is desperate to avoid the setup -- especially since she has a serious crush on another boy. It's time to take action. A rom-com with plenty of sweet for readers itching for a bit of light amongst a lot of heavy.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook and audio. -
February 9: Black History Month Book Pairings + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of a larger collection of book pairings, please consider engaging 3 distinct book pairings for Black History Month 2023. Available for check out in the CSW Library, these books aim to highlight moments in Black History and culture and are meant to be explored together for a more enhanced reading experience.
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY by DAVID F. WALKER and MARCUS KWAME ANDERSONQUICK TAKEThis gripping illustrated history explores the impact and significance of the Panthers, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook. -
February 2: Romance Novels + Book of the Week
EXPLOREExplore one of our fast-paced romance novels as we enter the month of love. Featuring realistic and fantastical romances, these stories move quickly and will leave you, hopefully, out of breath!Currently on display by the non-fiction stacks.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.SURVIVE THE DOME by KOSOKO JACKSONQUICK TAKEA high school junior teams up with a hacker during a police brutality protest to shut down a device that creates an impenetrable Dome around Baltimore that is keeping the residents in and information from going out.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
January 26: CSW Library Reading Challenge + Book of the Week
DOExplore our picks for February’s prompt of the CSW Library Reading Challenge. In celebration of Black History Month, the CSW Library is recommending challenge participants read a story that centers Black Love. We have a selection of books in the library collection for you to consider, and are highlighting four texts we think are excellent examples of love stories that deal with social justice themes, LGBTQ+ characters, comedic moments, and a heavier read that explores what happens to a marriage when our criminal justice system fails an innocent man. Your library director has read all four and loved each one for different reasons. Are you thinking about college, want to laugh, and also ugly cry? Pick Joya Goffney’s Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. Or do you want a protagonist you can root for over and over again? Grab Love Is a Revolution by Renee Watson. Are you a fan of star-crossed love stories that also feature illness? Want that kind of story with an LGBTQ+ relationship at the center? Pick up The Stars and the Blackness Between Us by Junauda Petrus, a Coretta Scott King Award winner and recently optioned for a feature length film. What will you pick? Don’t forget to record what you read in the tracker provided here–and remember to grab more information and consider signing up if you haven’t already. Have questions? Reach out to library director, Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE SUNBEARER TRIALS by AIDAN THOMASQUICK TAKETransgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
January 19: Fact & Fiction Collection +
EXPLORE3 Fiction/Non Fiction book pairings. Read one, read them both, read them together. See the collection here. On display at the library mantle through January.Taylor Swift uses her social media to occasionally recommend books she's read. Why not pick one up? The collection features titles she has claimed to love, including some classics and contemporary works. In addition, the library has selected some additional texts that we think Swifty and Swifty fans would love, too. See the collection here. On display outside the library office.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.FATTY FATTY BOOM BOOM : A MEMOIR OF FOOD, FAT, AND FAMILY BY RABIA CHAUDRYQUICK TAKERabia Chaudry—known from the podcast Serial and her bestselling book, Adnan’s Story, as well as her own wildly popular podcast, Undisclosed—serves up a candid and intimate memoir about food, body image, and growing up in a tight knit but sometimes overly concerned Pakistani immigrant family.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in the CSW Library. -
January 12: CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Ma’ayan ‘24, the best advice is to always carry a book around with you instead of defaulting to just sitting around or getting lost in your phone. They love reading late at night or in their hammock, and wax poetic on the impact of Harold and the Crayon and the time before all that homework meant so much more time for pleasure reading. Check out their spotlight and pick up one of their reccs!Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LEECH by HIRON ENNESQUICK TAKEA gothic dystopia that sees a doctor enter a baron’s home to take care of his family. And a parasite is on the loose. Think Wuthering Heights… but with worms!
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
January 5: 2023 Reading Challenge + Book of the Week
DOJoin the CSW Library’s 2023 January to June Reading Challenge! Every year, some folks choose a new year to develop new habits. Those can include desiring to drink more water, meditate, get outside every day, and of course, read more. As part of an ongoing effort by the CSW Library to engage our readers--as well as foster a love of reading in our not so inclined to read population--we introduce the 2023 CSW Library Reading Challenge.This list is meant to not only provide a challenge to our seasoned readers, but to spark interest in those that maybe want to pick up more stories this year. Can you complete the challenge? If you document your reads this year and complete this list, there may be a prize that awaits you at the end (bookish, of course!).Have questions? Reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LAVENDER HOUSE by LEV ROSEN
QUICK TAKEA delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen's Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
December 15: Book Recommendations + 2022 National Book Awards + Book of the Week
EXPLOREFaculty and staff recommend titles they've read and loved recently. Come check out why; on display next to the fireplace in the library and selections linked here.There were twenty-five Finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. Publishers submitted a total of 1,772 books for this year’s National Book Awards: 463 in Fiction, 607 in Nonfiction, 260 in Poetry, 146 in Translated Literature, and 296 in Young People’s Literature. Judges’ decisions are made independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors, and deliberations are strictly confidential. The CSW Library is recommending some of those winners and shortlisters, on display at the library front; see picks here.
*this is not a comprehensive list but the titles included here all made the short list and are available in the CSW Library collection.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ALL MY RAGE by SABAA TAHIR
QUICK TAKEA brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
December 8: Word of the Year + A Guide to Stardew Valley + CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
THE MORE YOU KNOW…The Oxford Dictionaries’ “Word of the Year”--as selected by online votes. It defines the term as “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” The more you know!EXPLORELast Mod, CSW Library Ambassador Matilda Leighton ‘24, created a well-crafted, thorough, and deeply researched guide to a project she spends a lot of time nurturing: Stardew Valley. What is Stardew Valley, you ask? Well, it’s a farming game… but it’s so much more than that, as Matilda informs her audience through her Ultimate Guide to the game, which walks explorers through the rules, how to get started, hacks and tricks for surviving the first year, and even deeply intimate character profiles for each game player. Impressive, indeed! Please explore her guide here and give the game a try; you might become as passionate about the valley as Matilda is.READThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Gabriella Lipsitch ‘24, reading is all about finding what you love so you can enjoy your time with a book–if you aren’t enjoying it, what’s the point? Gabriella shares her love for reading in the afternoon, preferably on her bed and maintaining a “To Be Read” shelf so there’s always something to pick from. A fan of fantasy reads and “enemies to lovers”, take a wander through her recommendations and pick up something new to read!READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THIEVES by LUCIE BRYON
QUICK TAKEElla and Madeleine don’t know it yet, but they’re about to embark on the strangest romantic adventure of their lives, and it’s not just their hearts that are getting stolen in this laugh-out-loud, capering graphic novel.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
December 1: Living Library + Mystery, Murder and Crime Display + Book of the Week
EXPLORELast mod, CSW Library Ambassador Maureen Dubouloz ‘23 dedicated time to bringing one of her passions to the space: plants. The CSW Library unveils its new “living library” of collected houseplants. Maureen researched our space, its access to light, and identified plants that would both thrive and be low maintenance to last well beyond her time at CSW. She created a comprehensive guide to developing your own green thumb. Introduce yourself to some of the plants in our new living library documented in her guide and stop by the front section windows to peek in on how they are settling in. Maureen will track their progress throughout the year and what care she puts into the plants at the library’s instagram, so give us a follow @cswlibrary!
EXPLOREA good mystery? A murder that needs solving and no one seems to be doing anything about it? A protagonist who starts a crime podcast? For fans of mystery, murder, and crime, these reads are for you. On display at the center library display--see the selections here and grab one before the long winter break.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.JACKAL by ERIN E. ADAMSQUICK TAKEA young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white Rust Belt town. But she's not the first--and she may not be the last. It's watching. It's Get Out meets The Vanishing Half.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
November 17: CSW Readathon + Book of the Week
A PROGRAMMING NOTEOur CSW Readathon, held November 5 from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., was a rousing success.We had more than 26 readers join us for all or part of the day and 7 students successfully complete all 12 hours of reading (phew!) and another four complete more than 6 hours (!). Check out some of our stats and explore the books we were reading during the event.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LOVE AFTER THE END: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TWO-SPIRIT AND INDIGIQUEER SPECULATIVE FICTION edited by JOSHUA WHITEHEAD
QUICK TAKEThis story collection showcases a number of new and emerging Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous writers from across Turtle Island. These visionary authors show how queer Indigenous communities can bloom and thrive through utopian narratives that detail the vivacity and enduring strength of 2SQness throughout its plight in the maw of settler colonialism's histories.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in the library’s physical collection.
This book is in celebration of Native Heritage Month '22 and features a story by the CSW Library’s Native Heritage Month author highlight: Darcie Little Badger. -
November 10: A Feature + CSW Reading Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library is thinking a bit differently this year about Heritage month displays. Heritage months are meant to honor and celebrate marginalized voices--think Black, Latinx, Native American, Asian + Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, Disabled, and Jewish as examples. The CSW library often creates thematic displays that center authors and protagonists that represent these identities. However, they sometimes don't move off the display and into curious hands.So this year, we are trying something new.While we always center ANY thematic display around a wide-variety of authors and voices, we are asking you to consider a new idea: one author, several texts. Our challenge for you? When heritage months roll around, or in any month for that matter, meet our challenge: pick up the author we are featuring and just...read what they have to say.For Native American Heritage month, we ask you to explore the works of Lichan Apache speculative fiction writer Darcie Little Badger. The CSW Library has both of the author’s novels–Elatsoe (2020) and A Snake Falls to Earth (2021). Both works have won numerous awards and were CSW library director Jenna’s favorite books of both years, respectively. A master storyteller, she’s an important author to pick up now, and any time, in your reading life.In earnestness,your libraryAs a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.DOCheck out our Decolonizing and Reclamation of the CSW Library, a project we’ve been working on for years but earnestly documented last spring. During Native Heritage Month, it’s important to dive into how we, as a library, are divesting from the centering of white, Western worldviews. Gain insight into how we are decolonizing our collections and shelves, as well as how we approach these library practices with a decolonial mindset.EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Matilda Leighton ‘24, a ‘22-’23 CSW Library Ambassador, it’s all about keeping a stack of books nearby so that when ready to pick up something new, you can select based on mood and what seems like the right fit right now. Matilda has a comprehensive, organized To Be Read list that she constantly nurtures, and reminds readers it's OK to judge a book by its cover–literally–as a way of narrowing all those choices out there.
Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.DRAWING THE VOTE by TOMMY JENKINSQUICK TAKEAuthor Tommy Jenkins traces this history from the earliest steps toward democracy during the American Revolution, to the upheaval caused by the Civil War, the fight for women's suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, the election of an African American president, and the control by a Republican majority. Along the way, Jenkins identifies events and trends that led to the unprecedented results of the 2016 presidential election that left Americans wondering, 'how did this happen?'"GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection (catch it on our VOTE display) and on ebook.This book of the week is part of our Elections display, featuring non-fiction that discusses voting in America and our political climate to fiction that centers voting day and other kinds of elections. Check it out here. -
November 2: CSW Read-a-Thon + CSW Reads + Book of the Week
DOCome to the CSW Readathon this Saturday, November 5, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. There will be snacks, games, and bookish prizes to celebrate the readers in our community. Bring your books, ebooks, audiobooks (with earbuds!), webtoons, but leave that homework at home. Stay for a little while, stay for the entire 12 hours. We simply ask that while you are here, you engage in pleasure reading! Held in the CSW Library, Klutchman Building. For more information, please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org or check out the details here. Note: we urge students to bring along the things that make for a comfortable reading experience–perhaps a favorite blanket, pillow, or beanbag chair you have–it’s going to be one long reading ‘sesh!
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Maureen Dubouloz ‘23, a CSW Library Ambassador, it’s all about trying on a variety of reading experiences and strategies during a busy day. Maureen likes to listen to audiobooks while doing other important things like driving or cleaning to squeeze in a few pages here and there. She stresses the importance of asking friends and family for reading recommendations and her art of finding autobiographies through social media promotion. She shares several picks that resonate with her and a “To Be Read” list—one that jumped off the list and into the “currently reading” pile just this week!
Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ORDINARY MONSTERS by J.M. MIROQUICK TAKEEngland, 1882. In Victorian London, two children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness —a man made of smoke. With lush prose, mesmerizing world-building, and a gripping plot, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world—and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection (catch it on our Boo! display).This book of the week was created by CSW Library Ambassador Matilda Leighton ‘24. Reach out and let her know if you pick it up and try it! -
October 27: Monsters and Magic + Book of the Week!
EXPLORESlow burning scares. Monsters and magic. Books that go bump in the night. For those of you looking to feel frightened, 'tis the season. We've got the books.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BOOK OF NIGHT by HOLLY BLACK
QUICK TAKECharlie Hall works for magicians who are basically criminals. She has never found a lock she couldn't pick, a book she couldn't steal, and that makes her very valuable for the magicians who want to rob their fellow magicians. But when Charlie tries to distance herself from that life, she gets caught up in maelstrom of murder and lies. Up against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, magicians, and the people she loves the most, Charlie is determined to survive.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
October 20: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AIN’T BURNED ALL THE BRIGHT by JASON REYNOLDS, illus. by JASON GRIFFIN
QUICK TAKEA gripping and emotional story of a Black family living through the beginning stages of COVID-19 and the BLM movement . It's a blend of art and text that illustrates finding hope in the “little things”.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week was created by CSW Library Ambassador Maureen Dubouloz '23. Reach out and let her know if you pick it up and try it! -
October 13: A Display on Challenge LGBTQ+ Books + Book of the Week
EXPLOREA new study revealed more than 1,600 books have been banned in over 5,000 schools this year; of those, 4 in 10 books banned in 2022 are LGBTQ+ related. Read more about some of those challenges in the Advocate.October is National LGBTQ+ History Month in the United States. This month serves as a time to learn about key figures and moments in LGBTQ+ history. The CSW Library is highlighting books that are regularly challenged in libraries and school libraries across the country with increasing fashion as a reminder that the arc toward justice is long--and that this moment is a part of a larger LGBTQ+ history. It's equally important we remember the privileges afforded us here at CSW to have regular access to these materials.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.QUEER DUCKS (AND OTHER ANIMALS) by ERIC SCHREFER, illus. By JULES ZUCKERBERGQUICK TAKEIn sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics from artist Jules Zuckerberg—Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. Interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
October 6: What the library staff is reading + Book of the Week
EXPLOREHappy mod break (a great time to pick up a good book and read for pleasure)! Check out what your library staff are reading these days. We share some of the books we’ve enjoyed and marked ones that are excellent on audio. Have recommendations for us to read? Feel free to send them our way at library@csw.org.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.INSERT TEXT HERE
JULIET TAKES A BREATH by GABBY RIVERA + CELIA MOSCOTEQUICK TAKEFor fans of Bloom and Spinning, critically-acclaimed writer Gabby Rivera (Marvel’s America) adapts her bestselling novel alongside artist Celia Moscote in an unforgettable queer coming-of-age story exploring race, identity and what it means to be true to your amazing self.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook.This book is the last of the CSW Library's celebration of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, Sept 15 - Oct 15. Each week, we featured a graphic novel by a Latinx author and/or illustrator. -
September 29: Incunabula + Deaf Awareness Month + Book of the Week
DOCheck out Incunabula, one of the CSW Library’s favorite fanatic bibliophiles on Twitter. You’ll learn remarkable tidbits about history–and of course books! @incunabulaDid you know The Tripitaka Koreana - carved on 81,258 woodblocks in the 13th century - is the most successful large data transfer over time yet achieved by humankind? 52 million characters of information, transmitted over nearly 8 centuries with zero data loss - an unequaled achievement. The Tripitaka Koreana, stored at a Buddhist temple in Gayasan National Park, South Korea, is the most comprehensive and oldest version of the Buddhist canon, with no known errors in its 52,330,152 characters which are organized in over 1,496 titles and 6,568 volumes.EXPLOREDid you know September is Deaf Awareness Month? The CSW Library asks you to explore both fiction and non-fiction works in our collection that explore the deaf experience and community. These titles include memoirs, as well as YA fiction, graphic novels, and even short essays, that center the experiences of deaf people–and all of their intersections. This month, and any month, consider exploring these titles.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.TONTA by JAIME HERNANDEZQUICK TAKEIn this graphic novel, teenager Tonta is staying for the weekend with her half-sister, the self-absorbed Vivian. At home, Tonta's stepfather is shot during a botched burglary, which leads to the discovery of family secrets that require Tonta to confront some unpleasant truths that she previously managed to suppress or remain ignorant of. Through it all, Tonta showcases Hernandez's brilliant talent for character, weaving a host of characters and milieus from his vast arsenal.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection.This book is part of the CSW Library's celebration of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, Sept 15 - Oct 15. Each week, we will feature a graphic novel by a Latinx author and/or illustrator. -
September 22: Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Collection + Book of the Week
EXPLOREExplore and celebrate Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month with The CSW Library’s featured list of 5 Latinx works that examine the many intersections of identity–be they gender, sexuality, race, country of origin, and language, to name a few.Latinx refers to peoples whose origin is Latin America. This includes Brazil and Haiti. People who identify as Latinx are of many races and speak a number of different languages. We encourage you to pick up one of these works in celebration of Latinx Heritage month or at any point in your reading life this year. While this is a month to highlight the breadth of experience, it is not the only time one can and should interact with these works.Continue to celebrate Latinx/Hispanic authors and illustrators of graphic novels and memoirs with us all month through our Book of the Week Feature.As a reminder, all of our physical displays are available virtually, as well. Check them out any time here. Curious about some of our displays from the previous school year? You can see them all here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AMAZONA by CANIZALESQUICK TAKEAndrea, a young Indigenous Colombian woman, has returned to the land she calls home. Only nineteen years old, she comes to mourn her lost child. And she comes with another mission. Andrea has hidden a camera upon herself. If she can capture evidence of the illegal mining that displaced her family, it will mark the first step toward reclaiming their land. This socially conscious thriller from graphic novelist Canizales examines the injustices of his home country in a stark, distinctive style.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook.This book is part of the CSW Library's celebration of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, Sept 15 - Oct 15. Each week, we will feature a graphic novel by a Latinx author and/or illustrator. -
September 15: Book of the Week + Brooklyn Public Library Initiative For All American Teens
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.UNEARTHED by LILLIAM RIVERA + STEPH C
QUICK TAKE
This poignant and heartfelt tale about the trials that immigrants face in America is crafted by Pura Belpré Honor-winning author Lilliam Rivera (Never Look Back) and rising illustrator Steph C. Their modern refresh of Jessica’s story shows the budding hero take on challenges that ordinary immigrant families face every day. As she struggles with a new reality in Coast City, Jessica must overcome her fear to become a beacon of hope for her community.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook.
DOCheck out the Brooklyn Public Library’s latest initiative: offering any American teenager unlimited digital and audio access to banned and challenged books, called Books UnBanned. Inspired by the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Statement, BPL's Books Unbanned initiative is a response to an increasingly coordinated and effective effort to remove books tackling a wide range of topics from library shelves. Many of the challenges to titles facing libraries today have space on our shelves here at CSW. Consider friends, peers, and folks that may not have the same access: how can the Books Unbanned initiative help them? Share it widely. -
September 8: Follow Us on Instagram + Book of the Week: Messy Roots
DOFollow the CSW Library on Instagram. We will feature some of the content highlighted here in the newsletter and many more happenings here in the library space. @CSWLIBRARY
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MESSY ROOTS by LAURA GAOQUICK TAKEA deeply thoughtful, engaging, and funny graphic memoir about a young person exploring self, identity, and what it means to be a Wuhanese American amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gao beautifully illustrates a coming-of-age–making the basketball team, escaping Chinese school, and figuring out why girls make Gao’s heart flutter.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as in ebook. -
June 9: Summer Reading
EXPLOREDon’t forget: the CSW library offers a myriad of touch points for you to find summer reading that resonates with you. In addition to our Community Reading Project, we encourage all students to explore what it is they want and like to read. The library provides a comprehensive Genre Reading List for those that know what kinds of books they enjoy and a Minimalist Reading List for those who struggle with too much choice or may be seeking the advice of the critical teachers in their lives and the disciplines they love. See what books are recommended by faculty–things for the budding activist, artist, writer, historian, dancer, and more.
In addition to these two lists, the CSW Library Find Your Next Read landing page offers even more curated lists–from displays and heritage month features to recommendations from friends, peers, and even your librarians.
Happy summer! Happy reading!Have questions or just want to chat books and reading? Feel free to reach out to library director Jenna Wolf at jwolf@csw.org -
June 2: CSW Reads Spotlight: Tracy Domitrz
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Tracy Domitrz, one of CSW’s school counselors, it’s all about avoiding the tendency to pigeon-hole ourselves as readers and to embrace different genres again and again in life. Tracy provides insight into what books actually land a coveted spot on her bookshelves (think: cutthroat! finely curated!) and offers up a blend of fiction and nonfiction, YA page turners, and Pulitzer Prize winning novels in her recommendations. What’s most important: if you’ve read it and Tracy has too, chances are you be in some great company for a chat about what you read, any time. In fact, Tracy welcomes it.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org -
May 26: A Summer Reading Guide + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library’s summer reading guide–which highlights books by genre and includes some markers for texts like recommendations by Read This!, CSW’s student-led book recommendations club, as an example.This summer, students will read with their advisory groups and have selected a text to explore together. But, consider reading more than that one text–the library is a great place to find what you want to read. Also explore the CSW Library’s FIND YOUR NEXT READ page for other ideas and suggestions!READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AIN’T BURNED ALL THE BRIGHT by JASON REYNOLDS
QUICK TAKEWritten in poetry, Ain’t Burned All the Bright captures what it's like to be Black in America. This book filled with emotion and beautiful artworks tells the story of life during the beginning COVID-19.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 19: Book of the week - The Lost Dreamer
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE LOST DREAMER by LIZZ HUERTA
QUICK TAKEThe Lost Dreamer, is a fantasy and romance novel inspired and based on Mesoamerica. The story follows two protagonists Indir and Saya who must learn about themselves and the world around them as they must fight for their homes and to survive. When their world crumbled apart when their King Anz passed. His son has no appreciation for being a dreamer, meaning she has the rare ability of dreaming truth.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in the CSW Library. -
May 12: Book of the Week + Book Display
EXPLORE
Featuring folklore, magic, dystopias, and more — these science fiction and fantasy novels are perfect reads for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (celebrated annually in May) and beyond. Featuring dramatic retellings of traditional folklore to vast, complex, and technologically advanced new worlds, these authors celebrate and speculate all the while featuring resilient AAPI protagonists. On display in the magazine flats of the CSW Library through the month of May.
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.IT’S A WHOLE SPIEL: LOVE, LATKES, AND OTHER JEWISH STORIESEdited by KATHERINE LOCKE and LAUREN SILVERMANQUICK TAKEGet ready to fall in love, experience heartbreak, and discover the true meaning of identity in this poignant collection of short stories about Jewish teens. From stories of confronting their relationships with Judaism to rom-coms with a side of bagels and lox, It's a Whole Spiel features one story after another that says yes, we are Jewish, but we are also queer, and disabled, and creative, and political, and adventurous, and anything we want to be.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library and in ebook.
This book selection is part of the CSW Library’s celebration of Jewish Heritage Month, celebrated annually in May. Don’t forget to check out our display featuring Jewish authors and protagonists! -
May 5: Jewish Heritage Month 2022 + Book of the Week
EXPLOREIn celebration of Jewish Heritage Month 2022, which occurs annually during the month of May, consider exploring these stories by Jewish authors featuring Jewish protagonists where Jewish identity is an important part of telling the story. The protagonists embody a wide range of experiences and emotions--from love and romance to heartache, intersections of race, gender and sexuality, parental loss, and community, these stories share the complex stories of Jewish people with an emphasis on excellent examples from recent young adult titles. On display in the magazine flats of the CSW Library through the month of May.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE BODY PAPERS by GRACE TALUSANQUICK TAKEWinner of The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, Grace Talusan’s memoir The Body Papers bravely explores her experiences with sexual abuse, depression, cancer, and life as a Filipino immigrant, supplemented with government documents, medical records, and family photos.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book selection is part of the CSW Library’s celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. Grace Talusan, the author of this text, visited campus on May 4. Interested to learn more? Dive into this memoir. -
April 28: Autism Acceptance Month 2022 + Book of the Week
EXPLOREAs part of Autism Acceptance Month 2022, which takes place in April, the CSW Library is highlighting autistic protagonists and authors, as well as space for autistic people to share their stories.EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Brooke Thompson ‘23, a 2022 CSW Library Ambassador, it’s important to remember not to label yourself as a “reader” or “not a reader” based on the number of books you complete in a year. What’s important is to capitalize on the times you feel ready to read–like summer, sitting outside, surrounded by the sounds of nature. Brooke walks us through some favorite picks and showcases a diverse selection of titles that may (or may not) be on your next reads list.
Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
TONIGHT WE RULE THE WORLD by ZACK SMEDLEYQUICK TAKEIn the beginning, Owen’s story was blank . . . then he was befriended by Lily, the aspiring author who helped him find his voice. Together, the two have spent years navigating first love and amassing an inseparable friend group. But all of it is upended one day when his school’s administration learns Owen’s secret: that he was sexually assaulted by a classmate.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library and in ebook.This book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's celebration of AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH 2022, which occurs yearly in April. -
April 21: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ON THE EDGE OF GONE by CORINNE DUYVIS
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2034, a comet is due to hit the Earth within the hour. Denise, who's sixteen years old and autistic, must try to find her missing sister and also help her neglectful, undependable mother safely aboard a spaceship.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library and in ebook.This book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's celebration of AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH 2022, which occurs yearly in April. -
April 14: Social Justice Day 2022 + Book of the Week
EXPLOREABOVE ART: Summer-Harmony Twenish is an Algonquin artist from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. They share their artwork on their Instagram account (@nibinikwe), and their portfolio can be found at summertwenish.ca.Our students explored topics in decolonizing education and history as part of Social Justice Day 2022 at CSW. The library has been working to decolonize our space, our collections, and to help our students grapple with who gets to decide what knowledge and history holds value. We also have an exhibition up for the week of April 11 - April 15 which is detailed at the link below.We, at the CSW Library, are committed to and engaged in the long term act of decolonizing our space and collections. To decolonize means for us to withdraw from a western worldview through both our acquisitions, definitions of scholarship and knowledge, as well as the ways in which we organize items to celebrate, uplift, and center other worldviews, perspectives, and ideas. Decolonization is not diversifying; a diverse library collection can still uphold colonial practices and ideas. Please visit http://decolonize.library.csw.org to learn more about our work.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.OUR HISTORY IS THE FUTURE by NICK ESTESQUICK TAKEIn 2016, a small protest encampment at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, initially established to block construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, grew to be the largest Indigenous protest movement in the twenty-first century. Water Protectors knew this battle for native sovereignty had already been fought many times before, and that, even after the encampment was gone, their anti-colonial struggle would continue. In Our History Is the Future, Nick Estes traces traditions of Indigenous resistance that led to the #NoDAPL movement. Our History Is the Future is at once a work of history, a manifesto, and an intergenerational story of resistance.GOOD TO KNOWThis book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's celebration of CSW's Social Justice Day 2022: Decolonizing Education and History. -
April 7: Book of the Week - The State of Grace
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE STATE OF GRACE by RACHAEL LUCAS
QUICK TAKEGrace has Asperger’s and her own way of looking at the world. She’s got a horse and a best friend who understand her, and that’s pretty much all she needs. But when Grace kisses Gabe and things start to change at home, the world doesn’t make much sense to her any more. Suddenly everything threatens to fall apart, and it’s up to Grace to fix it on her own.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library and in ebook.This book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's celebration of AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH 2022, which occurs yearly in April. -
March 31: Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility + Book of the Week
EXPLORECelebrate Transgender Day of Visibility 2022 (March 31) with these stories by transgender authors featuring transgender protagonists in all their power, joy, triumphs, and trials.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.STEALING THUNDER by ALINA BOYDEN
QUICK TAKEA charming dragon fantasy novel where a trans girl named Razia runs away from home, finds a community of trans women known as hijras, falls in love, and steals back her dragon.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library.This book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility 2022 (March 31). -
March 24: Women's History Month + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
During Women's History Month 2022, the CSW Library celebrates fiction that explicitly centers the stories and thereby the lives of women. These novels illuminate some aspect of the female condition and/or offer some kind of imperative for change. Some even make a bold or unapologetic political statement in the best interests of all women.EXPLOREIn addition to celebrating feminist fiction, the CSW Library is also exploring how women use the power and priviledge they hold for healing–and in some cases, for division. Through a series of texts, essays, and writings, we consider history, context and the role women play in various communities to either uplift or disempower.Women have often been seen as the central force for mothering, caring, and healing. But like all things, women can use their power for the betterment of others or use it to continue a harmful narrative or history. As part of Women's History Month 2022, the CSW Library asks you to explore how women have used their position--sometimes powerful--to shape an idea, narrative, or solidify and uphold a community’s beliefs. Does that power aim to heal a people or disempower and harm others?Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele used their power to create the Black Lives Matter Movement, demanding accountability from authorities who continuallyignore the injustices inflicted on people with black and brown skin. In Sisters In Hate, journalist Seyward Darby goes inside the White Nationalist movement to explore the women upholding and codifying white supremacist idealogies and using their reverent positions within the community to spread messages of hate.How do women hold both the power to heal and the power to hurt? How are some women challenging the very notion of women as eternally mothering protectors? For women who harm, are they often overlooked as sometimes controversial figures who hold a very specific power?READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE IRON WIDOW by XIRAN JAY CHAOQUICK TAKEThe boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead. A fast-paced Feminist read and the first in a series.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's month-long celebration of Women's History Month 2022, featuring feminist fiction. -
February 24: CSW Reads Spotlight - Milly Chen '23 + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For CSW Library Ambassador Milly Chen ‘23, finding a book you want to read is like saying hello and having a conversation with a friend. Milly doesn’t enjoy books that depict lots of violence and shares a number of fiction and nonfiction recommendations that speak to overcoming adversity, the deep connections between humans and dogs, and sweet coming of age stories.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BLOOD LIKE MAGIC by LISELLE SAMBURYQUICK TAKEA rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature is part of the CSW Library's month-long celebration of Black authors of speculative fiction for Black History Month 2022. -
February 17: Book of the Week - Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
KINGDOM OF SOULS by RENA BARRONQUICK TAKEThis is a story of a young girl born to a family of powerful witchdoctors, but possesses no magic of her own. When her grandmother has a strange vision and things start to go awry in her home Kingdom, she decides to sacrifice years of her life for magic to set things right.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature was written by CSW 2021-2022 Library Ambassador Milly Chen '23 as part of the CSW Library's month-long celebration of Black authors of speculative fiction for Black History Month 2022. -
February 10: CSW Reading Spotlight-Fadila Traore '22 + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Fadila Traore ‘22, non fiction reigns supreme and her picks feature a blend of memoir and graphic novels that create a tapestry of stories that discuss African culture and life as a young person of color. She stresses the importance of abandoning books (so you don’t fall asleep) and to try to fill the pockets of your day by picking up a book rather than mindlessly scrolling your phone…again.Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org.Read More
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED by KACEN CALLENDERQUICK TAKEThis story reckons with the many layers of power and privilege in a lush fantasy world. An ambitious young woman with the power to control her mind seeks revenge on the royal family who murdered her family in a fantasy world inspired by colonial oppression in the Caribbean. The narrative describes the cruelest part of history and delivers a powerful message that will stay with you long after the last page.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout from the CSW Library.This book of the week feature was written by CSW 2021-2022 Library Ambassador Milly Chen '23 as part of the CSW Library's month-long celebration of Black authors of speculative fiction for Black History Month 2022. -
February 3: Black History Month + CSW Reads Spotlight: Sharon Cuthbertson + Book of the Week
During the month of February, we collectively celebrate the rich histories of African Americans and the African Diaspora. As part of this work, the CSW Library is sharing speculative fiction by Black authors. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that encompasses works in which the setting is other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements. Under this classification, it can include literary fiction with fantastical elements as well as hardcore science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Thes one important detail that sets it apart from classic sci fi and fantasy novels is this: the narratives are less concerned with the technology and science as with the human responses to new situations caused by the science or technology. Highlighting the human problem, and not the technological one, is the hallmark of this super genre.In addition to this list, each week we will feature a work of fiction whose thematic elements inhabit the imagined fantasy in our Book of the Week series. Our hope is that you will explore one text under this theme during the month of February. Check out the digital collection here and remember to stop by the library to see thephysical display.EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Sharon Cuthbertson, CSW’s Library Assistant and fac/staff advisor to Read This!, the best stretches of reading involve those times where she doesn’t have to pay attention to the time–and can put her feet up! Sharon imparts some sage advice: there are too many books out there to slog through anything that isn’t required. Find books you love and you won’t want to stop reading. Check out Sharon’s picks!
Interested in participating in the CSW Reading Spotlight? We’d love to have you. Please reach out to Jenna at jwolf@csw.org
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.A SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS by ROXANE GAY, illus. by TRACY LYNNE OLIVER
QUICK TAKEAn adaptation of her short story “We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness,” Roxane Gay writes a compelling graphic novel with the help of Tracy Lynne Oliver and artists Rebecca Kirby and James Fenner. Expanding an unforgettable world where a tragic event forever bathes the world in darkness, The Sacrifice of Darkness follows one woman’s powerful journey through this new landscape as she discovers love, family, and the true light in a world seemingly robbed of any. As she challenges the world's notions of identity, guilt and survival, she’ll find that no matter the darkness, there remain sources of hope that can pierce the veil.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library, as well as in ebook.This book of the week feature was written by CSW 2021-2022 Library Ambassador Brooke Thompson '23 as part of the CSW Library's month-long celebration of Black authors of speculative fiction for Black History Month 2022. -
January 27: Book of the Week - Roxy
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ROXY by NEAL + JARROD SHUSTERMANQUICK TAKETwo siblings get caught up in a wager between two manufactured gods, Roxicodone and Adderall, in this . . . [book] inspired by the opioid crisis.GOOD TO KNOWThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library, as well as in ebook and on audio.
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
January 20: Consider a brief encounter + Dr. Nyle Fort's Reading List + Book of the Week
Read MoreEXPLORE
Novellas, essays, and super short reads--perfect for a mod break or in between reading for classes. Looking to kickstart your reading life in 2022? Consider a brief encounter--texts at 200ish and under pages meant to be enjoyed in one sitting. These titles feature a wide range of topics--from lived experience and identity, to politics, philosophy, imagined fantasy, and social justice. Don't see something that peaks your interest? Ask a librarian. We have tons more of these small texts to suggest. Check out the collection here--it features many more titles than are currently on display in the magazine flats.EXPLORE
Dr. Nyle Fort, CSW's MLK Jr. Day speaker, discussed the importance of reading and diving into the works of scholars that both discuss the African American experience, oppression, and freedom, but also the mythologizing of MLK Jr. we often do on and around this day. The CSW Library has compiled a list of Dr. Fort's suggested readings--both from titles he mentioned during his talk and ones endorsed on his social media--and incudes both fiction and non fiction. It also includes articles he's mentioned or written. A work in progress, this list will continue to grow, so check back often.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LIGHT FROM UNCOMMON STARS by RYKA AOKIQUICK TAKEA defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available for checkout in the CSW Library, as well as in ebook and on audio. -
January 13: Book of the Week + What We're Reading
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.CALL US WHAT WE CARRY: POEMS by AMANDA GORMAN
QUICK TAKEThe presidential inaugural poet--and new voice in American poetry--presents a collection of poems that includes the poem read at the inauguration of the forty-sixth President of the United States.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
EXPLOREDid you know the CSW Library staff is constantly reading so that we can best provide you with recommendations on finding your next read? Check out What We’re Reading, a regular feature of books read by librarian, Jenna, and library assistant, Sharon. -
December 16: CSW Reads Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Telly Staley ‘23, curling up with a good book means their homework must be done first...or it’s not likely to ever be finished in service of turning just one more page. For them, it’s all about finding books that meet some very specific criteria to even consider (no first person points of view, please!) and that some books are really important to read because of the critical conversations they spark. Telly shares some of their favorite books with us while reminding us to find a just right comfy spot to fall into with a good read.Interested in being featured in the CSW Reading Spotlight or know someone that would be a good match? We’d love to have you! Email Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.BEASTS OF PREY by AYANA GRAYQUICK TAKEFate binds two Black teenagers together as they journey into a magical jungle to hunt down a vicious monster.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTHOW TO FIND YOUR NEXT READ...The Library offers a number of places to help you find your next read. As we approach our second long break of the year, consider taking a look at our curated lists, recommendations, and more at our FIND YOUR NEXT READ landing page. Still don’t know what to read? Swing by the library and ask Jenna and/or Sharon for potential ideas. We are thrilled to help you find your next read. -
December 9: Another Book Display + Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.KLARA AND THE SUN by KAZUO ISHIGURO
QUICK TAKEIn the near future, 14-year-old Josie’s affluent mother buys her Klara, an AF (artificial friend), as a companion. A poignant meditation on friendship and loneliness.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTEXPLOREThis display features protagonists who are looking to escape, flee a place, and get out of complicated situations and fates. For fans of page turners, thrillers, dystopia, and more, this display is currently up in the magazine flats for the month of December. Check out the digital collection here, too. -
December 2: Book Display + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThis month in the CSW Library, check out our display featuring stories with harsh realities, rough edges, and protagonists who face those situations with courage. Check out the digital collection here.
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ALL’S WELL by MONA AWAD
QUICK TAKEA darkly funny novel about a theater professor suffering chronic pain, who in the process of staging a troubled production of Shakespeare’s most maligned play, suddenly and miraculously recovers.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
November 18: CSW Reads Spotlight Leo Rothstein '25 + Transgender Awareness Week + More!
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Leo Rothstein ‘25, reading tends to bend toward science fiction titles that accurately represent science. He stresses the importance of carving out time to read every day and that there are too many books out there to stick with one that isn’t working. Leo provides a window into his reading life with picks that range from hard sci-fi to political literature and even a punk rock history.Interested in being featured in the CSW Reading Spotlight or know someone that would be a good match? We’d love to have you! Email Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgEXPLOREThe CSW Library celebrates Transgender Awareness Week 2021 (Nov 13 - 19) with 12 books by writers, thinkers, artists and activists in the trans community. We hope that you consider exploring the rich and diverse experiences of trans people this week--and any week--and that you can find ways in which to be an ally in the community.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
BOYS RUN THE RIOT
BY KEITO GATOQUICK TAKEA transgender teen named Ryo finds an escape from the expectations and anxieties of his daily life in the world of street fashion. This personal, heartfelt, fictional story from a transgender manga creator made waves in Japan and will inspire readers all over the world!GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection.HOW TO FIND YOUR NEXT READ...The Library offers a number of places to help you find your next read. As we approach our first long break of the year, consider taking a look at our curated lists, recommendations, and more at our FIND YOUR NEXT READ landing page. Still don’t know what to read? Swing by the library and ask Jenna and/or Sharon for potential ideas. We are thrilled to help you find your next read. -
November 11: Fiction Non Fiction by Indigenous Writers +Indigenous Hosted Podcasts + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThis collection features fiction and non fiction from Indigenous writers about the impacts of living in a settler colonial state. These impacts include displacement, identity, citizenship, mental health and other traumas. Some are memoirs and some are short stories from multiple writers but all aim to express how colonization has profoundly shaped their experiences. Some offer bold statements on how to decolonize education or policies that shape Indian Country.
On display for the month of November, as part of Native Heritage Month 2021, in the magazine flats at the back of the library. Be sure to check out the digital collection here. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.
LISTENAs part of Native Heritage Month 2021, The CSW Library suggests you listen to an Indigenous hosted podcast. Might we suggest Rebecca Nagle’s This Land Podcast? Nagle, a citizen of Cherokee Nation and journalist, explores two distinct issues that affect Tribal Sovereignty.
In season one, she does a deep dive into the recent landmark Supreme Court Case, McGirt v. Oklahoma, which confirmed the eastern half of Oklahoma is reservation land. In season two, she explores how big oil is challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act to slowly chip away at Native Nations’ rights to self-determination. Listen to seasons 1 and 2 now here.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by LOUISE ERDRICHQUICK TAKERecent valedictorian Pixie and her uncle, Thomas, are members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota in the 1950’s working at a factory (he is the night watchman of the title). Both risk these precious jobs to set out on seemingly Quixotic quests—Pixie to find her big sister Vera, who has disappeared, and Thomas to fight the US government’s attempt to “emancipate” the tribe, a veiled attempt to terminate federal aid. An epic full of ghost stories, actual historical events, family and tribal lore and unforgettable characters.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
November 4: Celebrating Native Heritage Month
EXPLOREStorytelling is one of the foundations of Indigeneity. It is used to communicate creation stories, ancestral wisdoms, and to share the joy and resilience both needed, and experienced, as colonized peoples in what is now called the United States. Not only do these stories hold cultural significance and act as a point of survival, they can be vehicles for sharing topics and ideas important to Indigenous peoples.As part of Native Heritage Month 2021, the CSW Library is highlighting the power that comes from the convergence of both words and images to tell a story. These Indigenous comic and graphic novelists span the entire North American continent; for Native peoples, borders between the United States and Canada are imaginary and refer to this place Turtle Island. The stories highlighted here explore themes of cultural heritage and preservation, isolation and belonging, and settler colonial impacts on tradition. And for one, the importance of Indigenous people seeing themselves reflected as heroes with power.Check out the digital collection here. All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.WATCHDid you know Google’s Doodle Logo on November 1 celebrated Zuni (A:shiwi) Two-Spirit* fiber artist, weaver, and potter, the late We:wa, as part of Native Heritage Month 2021? Learn more about We:wa’s contributions to the Zuni Pueblo community here. You will also hear from Zuni Pueblo artist Mallery Quetawki, who talks about her process in developing this artwork for Google.
*Two Spirit is a pan-Indigenous umbrella term for Indigenous peoples who embody both the feminine and masculine spirit, as well as trans, non-binary, and gender expansive peoples. The term is atrributed to Elder Myra Laramee, who proposed its use during the Third Annual Inter-tribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference, held in Winnipeg in 1990. The term is a translation of the Anishinaabemowin term niizh manidoowag--two spirits.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by STEPHEN GRAHAM JONESQUICK TAKEJade Daniels moves through her solitary and rather stressful world, all while exploring her love in Horror. This read is a long but captivating and fun roller coaster.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection.This book of the week feature was written by Qai Hinds '23 as part of our ongoing celebration of Native American Heritage Month 2021. -
October 28: Book of the Week – Disability Visibility Edited By Alice Wong
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.DISABILITY VISIBILITY edited by AlICE WONG
QUICK TAKEA groundbreaking collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
October 21: Queer Historical Fiction + Book of the Week
Read MoreEXPLORELGBTQ+ folks have existed forever but historic oppression hasn’t always allowed queer people to live fully and authentically. This is also true of LGBTQ+ characters in published works through history and particularly within the historical fiction genre; often times, queer characters are left to the margins--cast in supporting roles (to entertain) or worse, treated as disposable (to meet an untimely end).Shifts within the literary landscape have opened the door to joyful, positive queer historical fiction. As part of celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, the CSW Library is featuring titles that prominently feature LGBTQ+ protagonists during specific time periods (and places!). These stories are paving new roads to allowing queer characters throughout history to live, struggle, and even thrive. Swing by the library’s magazine flats to explore the books on display this month and celebrate the joy that can exist in the pages of a good book.LGBTQ+ History month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson and is celebrated in the month of October.Check out the digital collection here. All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE CHOSEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL by NGHI VO
QUICK TAKEJordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society--she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She's also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. Vo's debut novel reinvents a classic of the American canon--for fans of The Great Gatsby.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection.DOFollow the CSW Library on Instagram. We will feature some of the content highlighted here in the newsletter and many more happenings here in the library space. @CSWLIBRARY -
October 7: Book of the Week
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE GIRL FROM THE SEA by MOLLY KNOX OSTERTAG
QUICK TAKEA beautiful graphic novel about a girl and a selkie who fall in love. Complete with family drama, changing friendships, magical transformations, and a summer of love.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection, as well as on ebook.This book of the week feature was curated by Chloe Maya Funk, ‘23, a 2021-2022 CSW Library Ambassador. -
October 14: Follow us on Instagram! +.mod break reading + Book of the Week
DOFollow the CSW Library on Instagram. We will feature some of the content highlighted here in the newsletter and many more happenings here in the library space. @CSWLIBRARYEXPLORESwing by the CSW Library’s front window to check out new(ish) non fiction books that not only feature trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, but memoirs of lived experience at the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation.The CSW Library celebrates LGBTQ+ History month, which is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson and is observed in the month of October.STAY TUNED: Next week we will feature Queer Historical Fiction, a genre that has all too often ignored LGBTQ+ people throughout history, in our collection.All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.EXPLOREOur first mod break of the year is nearly upon us and it’s a great time to consider grabbing a book from the library for the extended weekend. Consider exploring our displays for ideas, navigate our New To the CSW Library collection, or even check out What We’re Reading, a regular feature of books read by librarian, Jenna, and library assistant, Sharon.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.<CONTINUUM by CHELLA MAN
QUICK TAKEA story of coping and resilience, Chella journeys through his experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color, and shows us that identity lies on a continuum.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book is available in our physical collection. -
September 30: CSW Alum Latinx Fantasy Writer + Book of the Week & More
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EXPLORESPOTLIGHT: CSW ALUM LATINX FANTASY WRITER, DANIEL JOSÉ OLDER (‘93)Daniel José Older, a 1993 alum of CSW, is the NY Times bestselling author of the fantasy young adult series, The Shadowshaper Cypher, which follows a young Afro-Latina named Sierra who discovers her family’s history of supernatural powers and her ability to interact with the spirit world. Older won the International Latino Book Award and has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, the Mythopoeic Award, the Locus Award, the Andre Norton Award, and the World Fantasy Award. His latest book, The Book of Lost Saints, is an evocative multigenerational Cuban-American family story of revolution, loss, and family bonds.All of Older’s books are available for check out at the CSW Library.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ALL OF US WITH WINGS by MICHELLE RUIZ KEILQUICK TAKEAll of Us with Wings is a dark and magical coming of age story about love, found family, and healing. Perfect for fans of music, magic, and life in San Francisco told through the eyes of 17 year old Mexican-American, Xochi, who accidentally summons a pair of ancient beings bound to avenge the past.
GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
READDive into this profile of author Ruth Ozeki for Vulture on the heels of the publication of her latest book, The Book of Form and Emptiness. She discusses the writing process and attending Massachusetts boarding schools as a child, which created friction and isolation between her and her already fraying family. A nervous breakdown and subsequent hospital stay formed the inspiration for her protagonist, Benny, in her latest novel. From her home in North Hampton, Ozeki shares hope and resilience, discusses scraping by to matriculate at Smith College (where she now teaches creative writing) and the confusion of straddling worlds as a mixed race person growing up in the 60s, as well as a perception of her, while living in Japan, as being something other than small, delicate, and Asian, as she was seen in the United States--feeling empowered to be boisterous, loud, and funny...American.
Interested in reading some of Ozeki’s work? It’s available for check out from the CSW Library. -
September 23: A CSW Reading Spotlight with Maya Gregor ‘24 + Chloe Maya's '23 Fave Books + Book of the Week
Read MoreREADThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Maya Gregor ‘24, a reading life didn’t develop until she found both stories that resonated with her and a group of friends that liked to talk about the characters in the pages of their favorite reads. “The Red Queen series showed me that reading can actually be fun,” she said. “I used to hate reading, until my friends were debating which character in this [particular] book was better, so I decided to pick it up and quickly became engrossed in the story. It was the first series I read that wasn’t for school and I really loved it.” See what books Maya enjoys reading, as well as tips for developing a reading life at this week’s CSW Reading Spotlight.
Interested in participating? Know someone who would be a great feature? Email Jenna at jwolf@csw.orgEXPLOREDear Reader, I grew up in libraries and bookstores and have been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I neared the end of middle school that I read a book featuring a female queer main character. This kind of representation was new for me, and it was so important for me to have had as I’ve grown into my identity as a queer person. Finding books with “women-loving-women” (non-binary or female-identifying individuals with an attraction to women) main characters and love interests has been integral to my journey of self-discovery, and I wanted to share my favorites of these books and graphic novels with the community in the hopes that they can help you feel less alone. These books and graphic novels feature women-loving-women of varying identities; non-binary, genderqueer, bisexual, lesbian, and more. It is so important for these stories to be visible and accessible to the lgbtqiap+ community and our allies. Our identities can’t be taken away from us.
With love, Chloe Maya '23, CSW Library AmbassadorREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
INFINITY SON by ADAM SILVERA
QUICK TAKEThis fast-paced adventure full of grit is perfect for fans of magic and urban fantasy.
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September 16: Celebrate Latinx Fantasy Writers
Read MoreEXPLOREFire-breathing dragons, rising phoenixes, flesh eating zombies, and other mythical creatures have long been staples of literature. But many of those fantastical inspirations and world building elements come from European folklore. As part of Latinx Heritage Month 2021, the CSW Library is featuring Latinx fiction writers of fantasy as they explore the magical and mythical through the lenses of their own Latinx cultures. These stories, at their heart, create a tapestry of themes that explore fear, families, tradition, and belonging in new worlds that, in many cases, mirror and reflect the realities of ours.Latinx Heritage Month recognizes and honors the enduring contributions and importance of Latinx Americans to the U.S. and celebrates the many heritages and cultures of Americans from or with ancestors from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Central and South America. The CSW Library honors the culturally preferred and more appropriate term of Latinx. “Latinx” relates to people of Latin American origin or descent; the use of the 'x' does not imply a specific gender—as would the 'o' (masculine) or the 'a' (feminine) for nouns in Spanish—and is meant to disrupt the grammatical binary that is inherent in this Romance language.. -
September 9: Book of the Week – Instructions For Dancing + Books to Explore on the Library Mantle
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCINGBY NICOLA YOONQUICK TAKEFrom the author of “The Sun is Also a Star” comes an emotion-filled tale of family, friendship, romance, and the art of dance. A quick, fun read that you will feel in your bones long after you put the book down, and that will empower you to seize the day.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature was curated by Chloe Maya Funk, ‘23, a 2021-2022 CSW Library Ambassador.EXPLORELocated on the mantle above the library fireplace, this collection features non fiction stories and memoirs told through the graphic medium--with images and words. These stories feature personal explorations of navigating the world with a particular identity, key moments in history, dissenters, and artists. The CSW Library has a ton of non fiction in this medium, so do swing by the check out our entire collection. Explore here for more detailed information on the books featured in this space.All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well. For a peak into last year’s displays, explore here. -
September 2: Book of the Week – Kate in Waiting + New Fiction Titles
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.KATE IN WAITING by BECKY ALBERTALLIKate and her best friend Andy have a history of “sharing crushes”, but this time with Matt, things feel different. Their communal crush on Matt causes chaos in their school life, musical rehearsals, and worst of all Kate and Andy’s friendship! Kate in Waiting is perfect for fans of theatre drama, love triangles, and stories about friendship.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis book of the week feature was curated by Chloe Maya Funk, ‘23, a 2021-2022 CSW Library Ambassador.EXPLOREThese are on display in the front of the library as you enter. Be sure to swing by and check them out in person.Note: this digital collection of New Books is updated regularly to reflect what is on display in person. Check back frequently to see what else we’ve added! -
June 3: A CSW Reading Spotlight with Taylor Thomas '23+ Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Taylor Thomas ‘23, it’s all about finding books, stories, genres that resonate with the reader and make them want to turn one more page, even if it’s late at night. Taylor talks about being patient with yourself--and sometimes even the book!--and shares some picks that inspire her to be a future writer and poet.
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI by ABIGAIL HING WENQUICK TAKE“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.” And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where adults turn a blind eye, romances unfold, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop. For fans of Jenny Han, this one is nothing short of fun.GOOD TO KNOW
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May 24: Book of the Week – Super Fake Love
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.SUPER FAKE LOVE SONG by DAVID YOONQUICK TAKEWhen Sunny Dae--self-proclaimed total nerd--meets Cirrus Soh, he can't believe how cool and confident she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny's older brother Gray's bedroom--with its electric guitars and rock posters--for Sunny's own, he sort of, kind of, accidentally winds up telling her he's the front man of a rock band.GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 10: Celebrating Asians and Pacific Islanders + CSW Reads Spotlight with Anne Glidden + Book of the Week
EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Anne Glidden ‘21, reading is about finding a genre you click with and not being afraid to read what you love no matter what other people “label” it as. She provides picks that bend toward fantasy and thriller novels and says to “come back to me in ten years, when I’m wiser and more well-versed in the literary community” for books that everyone should read or might have universal importance..EXPLOREMay is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. While no singular book could fully reflect the diversity of the Asian American experience, we hope that this selection will highlight Asian American representation in non fiction work, as well as literary short story collections that speak to their intersecting identities. Additionally, you will note that each week our Book of the Week feature will include an Asian American writer of fiction.The term Asian American was first coined in 1968 by University of California graduate students and activists, Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka; Asian American wasn’t just a convenient umbrella term: by uniting those subgroups linguistically, it also helped unite activists in their fight for greater equality. To read more about this history, check out this article from Time Magazine in 2020.All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. See the digital collection here. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THIS IS MY BRAIN IN LOVE by I. W. GREGORIO
QUICK TAKEJocelyn, a high school junior, is determined to modernize the Chinese restaurant owned by her family, in an attempt to save it from going under. William, a young Nigerian-American, takes a summer job at the restaurant, and works closely with Jocelyn to revive the establishment. Dealing with mental health issues, the immigrant experience, and trying to fit in, Jocelyn and William share a surprising amount of common ground. As their bond grows is this just friendship, or perhaps leading to something more?GOOD TO KNOWWHERE TO CHECK IT OUT -
May 3: Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month + CSW Reads Spotlight Dmitri Kiryk '21 + Book of the Week
EXPLORE
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. While no singular book could fully reflect the diversity of the Asian American experience, we hope that this selection will highlight current Asian American representation in the pages of a good fiction or graphic book. Later this month, we will feature a smaller selection of non fiction titles that speak to the wide range of Asian American experiences that center identity. Additionally, you will note that each week our Book of the Week feature will include an Asian American writer of fiction.The term Asian American was first coined in 1968 by University of California graduate students and activists, Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka; Asian American wasn’t just a convenient umbrella term: by uniting those subgroups linguistically, it also helped unite activists in their fight for greater equality. To read more about this history, check out this article from Time Magazine in 2020.All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. See the digital collection here. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.EXPLOREThe CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Dmitri Kiryk ‘21, reading is about limiting distractions--putting the phone away or listening to audiobooks if finding time to read physical books is difficult. Dmitri offers some classic picks in the science fiction genre, as well as a reminder that so much of reading is about finding the right book at the right time.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.I’LL BE THE ONE by LYLA LEEQUICK TAKEA fun rom-com about pursuing one’s dreams and going against convention. Skye wants to become a famous K-Pop star despite being told that she’s not skinny enough to dance and perform. But Skye knows she’s got talent and is determined to enter an international televised competition to prove it to the world. Celebrating body positivity and girl power, I’ll Be the One is about perseverance and belief in one’s self.GOOD TO KNOW
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April 26: CSW Reads Spotlight with Zane Lerwill ‘23 & Book of the Week
EXPLOREREAD
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Zane Lerwill ‘23, the best kind of reading happens when you can talk about it with friends. He stresses the importance of talking about the things you read and to rant about the books that you didn’t love. Zane provides a range of titles that include historical fiction, graphic novels, and a particular CSW favorite that’s recommended over and over again--Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.Each week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
AFTER THE RAIN BY JOHN JENNINGSQUICK TAKEAfter the Rain is a graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road.” The drama takes place in a small Nigerian town during a violent and unexpected storm. A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive.GOOD TO KNOW
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April 19: Social Justice Day Resources + Book of the Week
EXPLOREREAD
Each spring, CSW holds an annual school-wide event known as the Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day. Formerly known as Law Day, the event was established in 1975 by Shirley and Roger Feldman in memory of their son, Michael Feldman ’67. The event explores various viewpoints on important legal and social issues of the day, creating opportunities for student discussion and debate, as well as guest speakers and presentations. This year's topic was REIMAGINING CRIMINAL JUSTICE: LEARNING THE SYSTEM TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM.The CSW Library, in conjunction with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, hopes that this day is just the beginning of your exploration and learning around our criminal justice system in the United States. We have compiled a list of resources you can use to continue in your journey of discovery and awareness around the complex nature of this topic in our country’s history. This list includes some fiction selections, as well, because it can be a great access point for understanding and empathy building.Each week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE THIRTY NAMES OF NIGHT by ZEYN JOUKHADARQUICK TAKEFive years after a suspicious fire killed his mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. He has been unable to paint since his mother's ghost has begun to visit him each evening. The only time he feels truly free is when he slips out at night to paint murals on buildings in the once-thriving Manhattan neighborhood known as Little Syria. One night, he finds the tattered journal of a Syrian American artist named Laila Z. She famously and mysteriously disappeared more than sixty years before, but her journal contains proof that Laila Z's past is intimately tied to his mother's-and his grandmother's--in ways he never could have expected. Even more surprising, Laila Z's story reveals the histories of queer and transgender people within his community that he never knew.GOOD TO KNOW
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April 12: Celebrating Arab American Authors + Book of the Week
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April is Arab American Heritage Month; the CSW Library hopes you will celebrate 5 authors from our collection who share the rich diversity of the Arab American experience in the United States. These stories feature themes that include faith, gender, sexuality, mixedness, and more.Arab Americans have ancestry in one of the world’s 22 Arab nations, which are located from northern Africa through western Asia. The people of these nations are ethnically, politically, and religiously diverse but share a common cultural and linguistic heritage.Each week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
ALL BOYS AREN’T BLUE by GEORGE M. JOHNSON
QUICK TAKEIn this memoir, Johnson, a Black gay man, describes growing up in New Jersey amongst a tight-knit, loving, supportive middle-class family, but he hid his sexual identity from them and his friends. This book is very personal and honest as Johnson describes his struggle to come out and embrace his true identity. Trigger warning: this book contains descriptions of sexual abuse.GOOD TO KNOW
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April 5: Celebrating National Poetry Month + More!
EXPLOREREAD
April marks the month where we celebrate the importance of poetry in our lives. National Poetry Month was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to bring about awareness and appreciation of this genre. At the CSW Library, we celebrate recent collections by poets of color who contribute, through their art form, to our collective consciousness about the racialized body, gender, sexuality, and what it means to be human in this world. This short list of selections features African American poets, Latinx and Indigenous writers, and their intersections: be they female, LGBTQ+ and more.
All of these titles are available for check out in the CSW Library. See the digital collection here. A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.READ & LISTEN
In response to the recent anti-Asian rhetoric and violence happening across the country, R. O. Kwon (bestselling author of The Incendiaries) penned a heartfelt letter to Asian women, which was published in Vanity Fair in March. She followed up with an interview for the podcast Rough Translation, in which she discussed her concern for her parents and her personal struggle with expressing that concern to them. Ultimately, she decided that silence comes with its own dangers. Please read, listen, and most importantly, reach out to express your support to your friends, family members, and community members of Asian descent. Let them know we are in this fight together.Each week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
CHLORINE SKY by MAHOGANY L. BROWNE
QUICK TAKEWith gritty and heartbreaking honesty, Mahogany L. Browne delivers a novel-in-verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and when growing up means growing apart from your best friend.GOOD TO KNOW
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March 29: Book of the Week – Concrete Rose
Read MoreREADEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
CONCRETE ROSE by ANGIE THOMAS
QUICK TAKE BY TAYLOR THOMAS '24Maverick, a 17 year old high school senior, struggles with the balance of being a member of the King Lord’s gang, a father, a son and more. This book examines the importance of living up to your role in a gang through family generations and how that may interfere with wanting a better life for your kid at a young age; Thomas explores this through the perspective of a teenage father, who went from “having it all” to becoming selfless and more mature.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as in ebook and on audio.READBe sure to read this article from the NY Times about the emerging work of “BookTok”: “BookTok” videos are starting to influence publishers and best-seller lists, and the verklempt readers behind them are just as surprised as everyone else. -
March 22: A CSW Reading Spotlight + Book of the Week
EXPLOREREAD
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Tallulah Stallvik ‘24, “the joy of reading cannot be manufactured or faked.” Stories have the ability to bring a reader happiness, but only if the reader is ready and willing. They offer some insights on books that have resonated with them, books they like to return to for nostalgia purposes, and offer four recommendations, most of which are coming of age stories that stand the test of time. For Tallulah, reading slumps do happen--but there’s always an opportunity to dive back into a hobby you love, like reading--especially in the wee hours of the night.Each week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
NO MAN OF WOMAN BORN by ANA MARDOLL
QUICK TAKENo Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character's gender, even when others do not. Trigger warnings and neopronoun pronunciation guides are provided for each story. Plus, dragons.GOOD TO KNOW
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March 1: Some ideas for finding spring break pleasure reads + A book of the week
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EXPLORE
As we head into Spring Break, consider exploring our physical and virtual displays to find a pleasure read for the next week. Saddled between mods, a week long respite from school is the perfect time to sink into a good book--if you are a remote student, definitely check out some books we’ve talked to students on campus this year that are available to you digitally in ebook and audio--the library can vouch for these titles! Our Book of the Week feature is another great place to get reading ideas and consider entering the 2021 CSW Reading Challenge while you are at it.
We hope that, with travel restrictions due to the pandemic, that you travel in your mind between the pages of a book this March.
READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
COOL TOWN: HOW ATHENS, GEORGIA, LAUNCHED ALTERNATIVE MUSIC AND CHANGED AMERICAN CULTURE by GRACE ELIZABETH HALE
QUICK TAKEWritten by a spectator and participant in the Athens, Georgia music scene this book provides a look into the history of the alternative music mecca beginning in the late 1970s. Hale walks us through how the bohemian scene defined indie written as a collection of impressive research and reflections.GOOD TO KNOW
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February 22: Book of the Week – Every Body Looking By Candice Iloh
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READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read. During the month of February, each book of the week will be by an African American author and the themes within the story will center the Black Family in conjunction with our 2021 Black History month non fiction collection: THE BLACK FAMILY: REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY, and DIVERSITY
EVERY BODY LOOKING by CANDICE ILOHQUICK TAKEWhen Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own choices and to seek her place in this new world. But with thousands of miles between them, and the freedom to finally be herself, Ada must reckon with the weight of her past and long-suppressed desires as college life messily unfolds. With complex relationship dynamics and heavy-hitting issues, including addiction and rape, this book will leave readers deeply affected.GOOD TO KNOW
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February 15: Join the Affirmations Book Club For Transgender and Non Binary Students + Our Small Sips Display + Continuing Our Celebration of Black History Month
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Located on the mantle in the main library space, Small Sips: short, succinct stories without commitment features long form essay pairings that pack a serious thematic punch: from gender to art, climate, and borders, these short reads will provide lasting insights without taking much time to absorb.DO
Join other high school students in Massachusetts for Affirmations: a Trans book Club geared specifically to trans and non binary youth (ages 8-18. Affirmations invites readers to explore, question, and connect with one another and the centered experiences of trans, nonbinary, and gender-creative book characters. In partnership with Translate Gender and High Five Books, participants will explore a variety of texts, many of which we have in the CSW Library.
CSW students who identify as trans and non binary should register with the 14+ group, specifically, if interested in reading and discussion themes in a safe, affirming space. CSW is not affiliated with this reading group.March’s book selection is Pet by awaeke emezi, a quick read featuring a young, Black trans protagonist that packs a serious punch despite its brevity. Interested in checking it out from the CSW Library? Reach out to Jenna and jwolf@csw.org.Meeting Dates/Times (starting March):Ages 14+ | 3rd Tuesdays from 7-8pm EST (Zoom + Discord)Please register here so the Affirmations team can be in touch with what's going on each month AND so you can get the log-in information to join us. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us at info@translategender.org or email Massachusetts librarian Jordan Funke, who helps organize at jordanfunke@gmail.com.READEach week, the CSW Library highlights one title in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read. During the month of February, each book of the week will be by an African American author and the themes within the story will center the Black Family in conjunction with our 2021 Black History month non fiction collection: THE BLACK FAMILY: REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY, and DIVERSITY
ROOTS: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY by ALEX HALEYQUICK TAKETracing his ancestry through six generations back to Africa, Alex Haley discovered a sixteen-year-old youth who held the key to his family’s deep and distant past. In this Pulitzer-Prize winning feat of research and imagination based off of the author's family history, Haley tells the story of Kunta Kinte, who is torn from his homeland and sold into slavery in the United States where he and his descendants live through major historic events. In the four decades since its original publication, this story has lost none of its power to enthrall and provoke.GOOD TO KNOW
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February 8: A CSW Reading Spotlight + Romantic Reads + More Black History Month Celebrations
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The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Lizzi Cronin ‘21, a CSW Library Ambassador, reading is about always carrying a book around with you because you never know when you will have a moment to write in the margins or trade titles with friends. They stress the importance of abandoning books that are a slog (“You only have so much time!”) and sometimes texts that teach you about a topic like foraging could be helpful...if you’re lost in the woods. Lizzi recommends books that discuss art, music, poetry, and gender, all while urging you to ask everyone, all the time, what they are reading.
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As we continue our work as a school community in recognizing Black History Month, the CSW Library shares with you two display features: #OWNVOICES African American authors of fiction works published within the last year and Afrerican American thinkers, essayists, memoirists, poets, and more on the other. Please wander through our collections here or visit the CSW Library to see the physical display and check out a title or two.A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.EXPLORE
As we approach the Hallmark holiday that is Valentine’s Day, consider exploring our collection of new titles that have “Never Been Kissed”...er, checked out of our library for reading. These titles feature a range: from romantic, sweet endings to unconventional love stories and unique relationships. We urge you to dip into a little love this bleak February.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE BLACK KIDS by CHRISTINA HAMMONDS REEDQUICK TAKELos Angeles, 1992. Ashley Bennett is one of very few black students attending her private high school, and the lone Black girl in her group of friends. It’s the end of senior year and they’re living the charmed life, spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. On TV, the trial of four of the police officers who brutally beat Rodney King plays incessantly. When the verdict is revealed and riots start to close in on Ashley and her family, Ashley finds herself caught between worlds and suddenly, she’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the Black kids.GOOD TO KNOW
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February 1: Celebrating Black History Month 2021 with stories that center the black family, its diversity, and representation
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During the month of February, we collectively share and celebrate the stories and rich histories of African Americans. As part of this work, the CSW Library is sharing stories of the Black family, which feature a range of experiences that celebrate a family’s excellence, ancestors, malleability, triumphs, identity struggles, and in some cases, its direct impact on history and culture. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are 10 titles that provide access opportunities for every member of our community--from memoirs that deftly weave family experiences with racism, coming of age, and gender identity to denser, academic works that connect the family to the political.In addition to this list, each week we will feature a work of fiction whose thematic elements bend toward the African American family in our Book of the Week series. Our hope is that you will explore one text under this theme during the month of February.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM by YAA GYASIQUICK TAKEGifty is six years into a doctorate in neuroscience at Stanford where she’s studying the neural circuits of reward-seeking behavior in mice and attempting to alter the pathways leading to addiction and depression. Fueled by the need to understand the ills that have plagued her Ghanian immigrant family, she determinedly puts her faith in science. Still, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the pull of the evangelical church in which she was raised. Readers will be deeply moved by this story of faith, science, grief, and love.GOOD TO KNOW
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January 25: Eli Keehn is our latest CSW Reads Spotlight + Our Library Ambassador’s Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Next Book
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The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Eli Keehn, faculty member in the English Department and dorm parent, the best reading moments happen in his favorite gray armchair for long stretches of time. He’s had that chair since he was small and Saturdays spent in it, with a book in hand, are ideal ways to pass time on the weekend. He stresses the importance of “following your genuine interests” when finding your next read because “ if you’re reading something because you have to, or because you feel like you have to, you’ll resist it.” Eli recommends a host of titles that left a lasting impression on him and even muses about why Shakespeare transformed him--and still, he stresses, its OK if you don’t want to read Shakespeare, too.Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
BLACK SUN by REBECCA ROANHORSEQUICK TAKEIn the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city, to arrive at Tova for the solstice, commandeered by disgraced Teek captain Xiala, carrying one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, and as an ebook and on audio.EXPLORE
Often choosing your next read can be a very daunting task. Not to worry! The CSW library has created a guide to help you find the perfect book for you. It includes a few tips to help you choose a book, some resources within the CSW Library and outside, and a student curated list of a few titles to get you started. We hope this helps you out! - Marielle Horstmann, ‘21, CSW Library AmbassadorMarielle Horstmann ‘22, a 2020-2021 CSW Library Ambassador, has made countless contributions to our work this year. The culmination of this work is an Ultimate Going to Finding Your Next Read, which is designed to help you establish a reading life and pick books that resonate with you. Here’s to hoping you can find what you like to read and why you are drawn to those types of books in 2021! -
January 18 – CSW Reading Spotlight with Wren Rearden ‘22 & more
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The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Wren Rearden ‘22, so much of reading is about finding books that will have some personal, lasting resonance with the reader. They sagely note that “reading, and the relationship between a book and its reader, is completely in the hands of the reader. books have the power to change people, but only if their reader is willing to be changed.” Wren offers up a nicely blended list of recommendations that include young adult literature, LGBTQ+ themes, sad love stories, and some classic reads that wrap you up like a comforting, old friend.Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.
READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE CONTRADICTIONS by SOPHIE YANOWQUICK TAKESophie is young and queer and into feminist theory. She decides to study abroad, choosing Paris for no firm reason beyond liking French comics. Feeling a bit lonely and out of place, she's desperate for community and a sense of belonging. She stumbles into what/who she's looking for when she meets Zena. An anarchist student-activist committed to veganism and shoplifting, Zena offers Sophie a whole new political ideology that feels electric. Maybe consider this title for the 2021 CSW Reading Challenge: a book with images!GOOD TO KNOW
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January 11 – Book of the Week: If We Can Keep It
Read MoreREADEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.IF WE CAN KEEP IT: HOW THE REPUBLIC COLLAPSED AND HOW IT MIGHT BE SAVED by MICHAEL TOMASKY
QUICK TAKEAn . . . account of the deep roots of political polarization in America, including a . . . fourteen-point agenda for how to fix it. A timely exploration of how to protect our democracy.
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January 4 – CSW Reads Spotlight with Elisabeth Weber ‘23+ CSW Reading Challenge
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Join the CSW Library’s 2021 Reading Challenge and complete 10 books this year. There’s something for everyone on this challenge list, designed by our CSW Library Ambassador Marielle Horstmann ‘22. Want to dip your toe into a renewed reading life in 2021? Want to read outside your comfort zone? Never know what to pick up and need a guidepost to help you find your next read? This is the list for you. Simply keep track of the titles you read in each of the challenge categories and stay tuned for a form to record those for the library. Completing the challenge will make you eligible for a prize. The only expectation? You read. You tell us you're challenging yourself by filling out this form, and make a copy of this document to keep track of your titles as you read (we will ask for these later in the year!). keeping track of your titles to share with us later this year.EXPLORE
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Elisabeth Weber ‘23, reading isn’t about a competition--it’s about finding books that intrigue you enough to keep you engaged. She shares recommendations for how to get comfy in your reading spot (preferably laying down in bed!) and to recognize a book for both its excellent moments, as well as it’s flaws. You’ll notice some of her picks have been made into popular shows--a potentially great entry point for any of you that may want to dive into the book before watching (psst: the book is usually better).Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.
READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE ART FORGER by BARBARA SHAPIRO
QUICK TAKEThis book is about one of the world famous paintings that went missing at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. A young upcoming artist Claire Roth finds out there's much more to the crime that meets the eye, which leads her into a massive puzzle that somehow she got mixed up in.
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December 14 – CSW Reads Spotlight with Marielle Horstmann ‘22
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The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Marielle Horstmann ‘22, a CSW Library’s Ambassador this year, reading is an act to stave off boredom, an escape hatch, and a way to avoid doing that other thing that needs doing. Reading provides her with a “comfort and escape”; she notes reading allows her “to enter another world and forget about mine.” In this week’s CSW Reading Spotlight, Marielle hopes you’ll escape into some of her picks--travel to the past or entire into tales of drama and humor--you won’t regret her picks.Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE by RUTA SEPTYS
QUICK TAKEThis story involves a young man who travels with his parents to Madrid in around 1957, which was under Francisco Franco’s rule. While there, he meets a young maid who works at the hotel, and is immediately intrigued by her--little does he know that everything is a lot more complicated than he could have imagined.
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December 7 – Explore our next anti-racist reading series
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As part of our ongoing series on anti-racist reading, we urge you to explore these personal stories by authors who discuss what it means to exist in the race they embody, how that manifests in their daily lives and shapes their identities, and what it means to navigate the world in their bodies. This collection, available virtually, is currently on display by the Klutchman Building entrance. That location will house a rotating display that speaks to our collective anti-racist work here at CSW.
If you missed our previous anti-racist reading list, navigate those selections here.
READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT by AMINAH MAE SAFI
QUICK TAKESet over the course of one day, Aminah Mae Safi's This Is All Your Fault is a smart and voice-driven YA novel that follows three young women determined to save their indie bookstore. With a multi-racial cast, this story captures enemies-turned-lovers, big friendships, growing up, and has been compared to a popular 90s movie. Can you guess which one?
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November 30 – A talk with professional, Black animators
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Black N' Animated, both a consortium of Black professionals working in the animation industry as well as a popular podcast, is coming together to help answer these questions in a virtual event run on the Boston Public Library Teen Services Twitch channel. This teens-only event will feature an honest discussion with Black animators who have worked for Disney, Sony Pictures Animation, and Tonko House as well as a live, real-time drawing demo by guest artists Kellye Perdue and Wynton Redmond! Teens can ask questions—and maybe even influence the artists' demos—all in real time!Whether you're a teen interested in becoming a professional animator or a wicked otaku looking to nerd out for 90 minutes, join the BPL for this unprecedented window into a fascinating artistic world.
NO REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY; simply visit Twitch.tv/BPLts at the event time, or follow us on Twitch early to receive notification of our many entertaining teen-oriented events! (A FREE Twitch account is required to participate in chat.)READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.CASTE by ISABEL WILKERSON
QUICK TAKEThis nonfiction history makes the case that--from its inception and continuing through to present day--the United States has developed a rigid racial caste system with African-Americans at the bottom and European-Americans at the top. The author compares the US system with that of India and the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.
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Located in front of the last row of non fiction stacks at the back of the library, this display features a collection of stories and novels set in other worlds or with fantasy and sci fi themes by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. -
November 23 – Book of the week: The Only Good Indians
Read MoreREADEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS by STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES
QUICK TAKEFour American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation, who were childhood friends, find themselves in a desperate struggle for their lives against an entity that wants to exact revenge upon them for what they did during an elk hunt ten years earlier.
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This title is available for check out in our physical collection. -
November 16 – Our list of books by Indigenous thinkers
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As part of Native American Heritage Month 2020, the CSW Library is celebrating a wide array of Indigenous thinkers--experts in environment and justice, resistance movements, historical and political context, and the lived experience of Native people in the United States. You may have seen some of these books displayed prominently in independent bookstores, across Internet lists, and floating around social media. Perhaps this month will push you to pick one up and experience the wealth of ideas and knowledge that Indigenous peoples contribute to the landscape of our country. Often ignored by mainstream media, think tanks, and policy makers, these titles are examples of why our country needs to uplift, recognize, and understand how the original stewards of this land are still here.Enjoy the permanent collection here. And a reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.DID YOU KNOW…
As part of Native Heritage Month, did you know that two of our faculty/staff are Indigenous? Find out a bit about their identities, citizenship, and favorite Native authors and books
Your Library Director, Jenna Wolf, is a citizen of Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma. You may have noticed this nation has recently seen some increased media attention this summer; the US Supreme Court upheld our tribe’s assertion that the entire eastern half of Oklahoma is the nation’s reservation lands and was never ceded to the state; it marks a monumental victory for Native Sovereignty.Her favorite Native author is Waubgeshig Rice. His debut novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, should be devoured in one sitting and is one of the best representations of Indigenous resiliency, hope, and familial joy.Interested in reading Moon of the Crusted Snow? Swing by the library for a copy.
Your Director of Community Programs for Equity and Inclusion, Jordan Clark is a citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah. The “story” of Thanksgiving is one many have heard of, but do they know that the Wampanoag were the original inhabitants of the land of southeastern New England, and have one of the largest collections of written documents by Indigenous Peoples in the United States? And that one of the first books ever printed in the United States was at Harvard University and was the Bible in Wôpanâak. That book was used to revitalize the Wompanoag language in this century.Jordan says if you read anything by a Native author, it should be The Last Pow Wow by That Native Thomas and Steven Paul Judd.Interested in reading The Last Pow Wow? Swing by the library for a copy.EXPLORE
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Mia Vittimberga ‘22, an important part of developing a reading life is carving out time. Mia gives advice around how to nurture reading as a habit, shares some picks that span a wide-range of themes, talks about how to use Goodreads to discover new books, and reminds us all its ok to dislike a book--or even two, equally.Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.ELATSOE by DARCIE LITTLE BADGER
QUICK TAKEImagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. This is Elatsoe’s world.
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This title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally in ebook. -
November 9 – CSW Reads Spotlight with Chloe-Maya Funk '23
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The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.For Chloe-Maya Funk ‘23, one of the co-heads of CSW’s reading recommendations group Read This!, reading is a part of every day. Surrounded by books her whole life, C.M. champions reading outside of the required academic texts and discusses how her reading life has changed during the pandemic. Check out the books she’s been reading lately, as well as some recommendations that may ignite your love for the stories in between the pages of a good book.
Want to be featured in a CSW Reading Spotlight? Email library@csw.org or reach out to Jenna directly at jwolf@csw.org. We’d love to hear from you.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by DAVID GANN
QUICK TAKEThis historical nonfiction book is well-researched and packed with details regarding the investigations into how dozens of wealthy citizens of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma were murdered during the early 1900s. The book also describes how the Federal Bureau of Investigation was launched at that same time, and the agency’s role in the investigation of the Osage killings.
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WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally in ebook and audio. -
November 2 – Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
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Need to step away from the 2020 Election news cycle? Read this interview in Believer Magazine with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding the Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, who discusses things like what mosses can teach us about uncertainty and the symbiosis of plants, animals, and humans. It might provide you with some much needed hope. Want to read Wall Kimmerer’s book? Swing by the library to pick up a copy or fill out this form.
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The CSW Library acknowledges Native American Heritage Month annually in November. As part of the ongoing celebration, we have curated a list of current, and critically important, Indigenous authors of fiction and poetry who have made substantial contributions to the literary arts. This first collection features both writers who have been publishing for decades (think Louise Erdrich and US poet laureate Joy Harjo) and those that are newer to writing, like Tommy Orange and Darcie Little Badger. Each offers a distinctive perspective and lasting impact on Indigenous culture through their work--and remind us that they come from unique Native Nations with different beliefs, customs, and world views. This list features stories across genres and generations, reminding us that Indigenous writers are living, thriving, and creating.All of our physical displays are available digitally. Browse everything that’s currently available in the CSW Library here.
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READAttend the Thursday, November 12 (at 4 p.m.) Boston Public Library virtual author talk with Leah Johnson, whose debut novel You Should See Me in a Crown was an instant hit. You Should See Me in a Crown follows Liz, a high school senior who decides to run for prom queen in hopes of winning the associated scholarship. But that's easier said than done when you're one of the only Black kids at your school, suffer from social anxiety, and are in the closet but developing a crush on a fellow prom queen hopeful. If this piques your interest, consider checking the book out from the CSW Library. It is also available in our digital collection as an ebook and on audio.The event is free; just follow this link to register in advance and the zoom link will be shared with registrants via email prior to the event.Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.CONDITIONAL CITIZENS by LAILA LALAMI
QUICK TAKEDrawing on history, politics and her personal experiences as a naturalized citizen, the author illustrates how partial acceptance into American society based on such factors as race, faith and perceived assimilation creates a caste system in which some citizens are embraced as more fully “American” than others. In this essay collection, she explores the rights, liberties and protections that are traditionally associated with U.S. citizenship, but which are not granted equitably to all.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally through SORA in ebook and on audio.
LISTEN
Patrick Murphy was convicted of murder by the state of Oklahoma in 2000. But defense attorneys soon discovered that his conviction may have been based on a lie. Hosted by Rebecca Nagle, an Oklahoma journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this podcast will provide an in depth look at how a cut and dry murder case opened an investigation into half the land in Oklahoma and the treaty rights of five tribes. Follow along to find out what’s at stake, the Trump administration’s involvement, the larger right wing attack on tribal sovereignty and how one unique case resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in US history. -
October 26 – A deep dive into RGB’s life
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Located in the front window of the library by circulation, our VOTE display features books about voting, its history, and its place in American life as we head into a historic presidential election on Nov. 3. Swing by the library window to snag more information on Massachusetts Voting and ballot questions, if you are with us on campus. Reach out to library@csw.org if you need more information.All of our physical displays are available digitally. Browse everything that’s currently available in the CSW Library here.EXPLORE
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left a long-lasting mark on the Supreme Court and the people of the United States through her nearly 30 year tenure on the court. A champion of gender equality and women’s rights, she successfully and systematically wrote opinions that impacted these issues for future generations. In the wake of her September 2020 death, The CSW Library created a primer of resources on her life and impact on the law. This collection features books we have available in our physical collection, as well as resources on the web that include stories about her life and work, interviews, and even speeches. It is a timely moment with her replacement on the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, seeing her seat confirmed just this week in the US Senate.If this has piqued your interest, explore the More Perfect podcast (courtesy Radiolab) linked below for more stories about the role the US Supreme Court plays in our lives and how the decisions the court makes impact our rights.READEach week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.THE VOTING BOOTH by BRANDY COLBERT
QUICK TAKEFor two teenagers on election day, the political becomes personal. Marva Sheridan, who has spent the last few months knocking on doors to get out the vote, jumps into action when she sees a young man turned away at the polls on voting day. A story at the intersection of youth activism and relationships, it deftly explores serious topics while also remaining playful and intimate.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally through SORA in ebook and on audio.
READ
The White Issue: Has Anna Wintour’s Diversity Push Come Too Late? By Edmund Lee charts famed Vogue editor and Conde Nast artistic director Anna Wintour’s response to Vogue magazine’s diversity problem in last Sunday’s New York Times Business section. Vogue’s September 2020 issue celebrated Black culture and contributors--but some employees say the magazine’s powerful editor fostered a workplace that sidelined women of color. Peak your interest? You might want to pick up Elaine Welteroth’s More Than Enough, her part memoir, part ; Welteroth, who is quoted in the NY Times Article, was the first Black editor of Teen Vogue--library assistant Sharon Cuthbertson highlighted this title in What We’re Reading last year and it’s available for check out in the CSW Library.From Prince to Whitney to Nicki: The Plight of the Black Pop Star By Briana Younger is an in-depth exploration of pop music at the intersection of race. The article explores questions like: How does one exist as a Black pop musician when pop is predicated on whiteness? and How does one exist as a Black pop musician when pop music has been defined to exclude parts of you? Younger dives into how audiences perceive Lizzo, Childish Gambino, Nicki Minaji, and Prince, to name a few, and dives into pop music’s inherent quality of “neutralness”--and how that very essence impacts Black artists producing pop music. A captivating read for fans of music, pop culture, and the role race and audience plays in the “making” of a star. (via Noisy / Vice Media) -
October 19- Explore some witchy reads
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Located on the mantle above the fireplace in the library, this collection of fiction novels and graphic novels features wicca, witchcraft, spells, and all things witchy. Fun, spooky, clever, there's something in each of these for everyone this Halloween season.Don’t forget, all of our physical displays in the library have a digital face. See all of what’s currently on display in the library here.LISTEN
Did you know street addresses are a fairly recent invention that has shaped our cities and taken on great political importance?Roman Mars, host of social design podcast 99% Invisible, talks with Deirdre Mask, the author of The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power, which looks at all the ways the world has changed since the popularization of street addresses during the Enlightenment. The book examines how addresses impact wealth and poverty, and how they serve as proxies for our most contentious debates. Mask also explores a digital future where we aren’t reliant on the numbers on our homes to tell us where we are or where we’re going.This 30-minute podcast episode will provide you with a taste of what Mask’s book uncovers. Peak your interest and want to know even more? Swing by the library or fill out a request for The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power. We’ve got you covered!READ
Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES by CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
QUICK TAKEIn Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism in this short story collection that won a Shirley Jackson Award and was a National Book Award Finalist.GOOD TO KNOW
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October 12 – Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month
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Did you know October is LGBTQ+ History Month? Our physical and digital display features books new to our library collection either by queer authors of color or prominently feature people of color within the greater gay rights movement. You will find memoirs, an illustrated history, and even short stories and poetry.
Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.DON'T ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM BY JENNIFER DE LEON
QUICK TAKEHalf Salvordorian and half Guatemalan, 15 year old Liliana has to adjust to attending a new, almost all white high school in suburban Westburg. Trying to fit in, she disguises her LatinX Boston life, becoming Lili and learning to be more white, while all the time worried about her father’s prolonged absence. Where is he and why hasn’t he come back? This is a witty coming of age novel about class, race, identity and immigration.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally through SORA in ebook format and audiobook.Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015–2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016–2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From is her debut novel.She will be a featured speaker at October's Boston Book Fest, all happening for free and virtually. Join YA: Speaks the Truth on Friday, October 16 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Be sure to register for the event ahead of time. All you need is an email address to hold your spot.LISTEN
Discussions of our community read, Real American by Julie Lythcott-Haims, have centered around a range of topics from identity, racism and anti-racism to the value of memoir. In a very timely Boston Book Festival audio session, Memoir: Race and Identity, three authors who represent a wide variety of experiences and perspectives address these topics and more. In this pre-recorded session, you’ll hear echoes of Lythcott-Haims’s thoughts on respectability politics, the experience of growing up as a person of mixed race, and the question “Where are you from?” as well as views on representation, policing, and the need to build trust across communities. While we’re waiting for Lythcott-Haims’s virtual visit to CSW in November, it’s a perfect time to listen and consider other perspectives on the topics of race and identity in America. -
October 5 – Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month
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As part of Latinx Heritage Month 2020, the CSW Library has curated a list of titles by Afro-Latinx writers spanning Puerto Rico, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, and more. This list features short stories, historical novels, YA adaptations of classic literature, and novels in verse.LatinX Heritage Month recognizes and honors the enduring contributions and importance of LatinX Americans to the U.S. and celebrates the many heritages and cultures of Americans from or with ancestors from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Central and South America. The CSW Library honors the culturally preferred and more appropriate term of LatinX Heritage Month and expands events through early November. The term “Latinx” relates to people of Latin American origin or descent and is used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina.
Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.AN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND LATINX HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES by PAUL ORTIZ
QUICK TAKESpanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the “Global South” was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Incisive and timely, this bottom-up history, told from the interconnected vantage points of Latinx and African Americans, reveals the radically different ways that people of the diaspora have addressed issues still plaguing the United States today, and it offers a way forward in the continued struggle for universal civil rights.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collectionEXPLORE
Be sure to remember that every CSW library physical display is available digitally. You can see all of our displays in the virtual world here.
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Join the Love and LiteraTea project online this year to collectively read and discuss young adult books with LGBTQIA? characters. Founding organizer, shea martin, describes it as “a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ youth* to connect through literature and pop culture.” This academic year, LGBTQ students and facilitators will read and discuss six YA titles (along with supplementary literature and media). The books chosen as the foundational texts for this year center authors and characters, who identify as LGBTQ+ and Black, Indigenous, People of Color. They include Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro, The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian, and Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.*this is a virtual space strictly for students who identify as LGBTQ
Attend Boston Book Fest 2020 (October 5 - October 25), which will be held virtually. The festival will host virtual conversations, presentations, and interactive sessions for readers of all ages, culminating with a weekend of festivities October 24 - 25. All events will be a combination of livestreamed and pre recorded content. Be sure to peruse the YA literature schedule for events, author talks, and more, geared specifically to teenage readers and fans of young adult literature. Some authors to expect on the agenda: Arvin Ahmadi (How It All Blew Up), local author Jennifer De Leon (Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From) Justin A. Reynolds (Opposite of Always), and Ashley Woolfolk (The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything).All events are free to attend and will be archived online for later viewing. -
September 28 – Books of the Week
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NPR’s Nina Totenberg, who covers The Supreme Court for the public radio giant, recently shared this intimate portrait of a decades-long friendship with the recently deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Their friendship, which began with a phone call, included weekly dinners and the promise to never cross lines between their work and their personal relationship. It’s a remarkable window into a quite unusual and long lasting friendship. Spoiler alert: RBG didn’t know how to use an oven.Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
DIARY OF A TOKYO TEEN by CHRISTINE MARI INZER
QUICK TAKEA century after the Martian war of independence, a group of kids are sent to Earth as delegates from Mars, but when they return home, they are caught between the two worlds, unable to reconcile the beauty and culture of Mars with their experiences on Earth in this spellbinding novel from Hugo Award–winning author Hao Jingfang.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available digitally through our ebook collection. Read it here. (Note: accessing this book off campus? Use our ebsco remote login info) -
September 21 – Important Note from the Library + Book of the Week
Read MoreImportant Note from the Library + Book of the Week: VAGABONDS by HAO JINGFANG
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT USING AND ENJOYING THE CSW LIBRARYDue to changes in navigating CSW’s campus starting next week, The CSW Library has some changes to note around our hours of operation and use during Phase One of our reopening to the community. All policies concerning our phased in approach will be considered after Mod 1, in collaboration with the Academic Office and Dean’s Office.OUR HOURS ARELIBRARY HOURS: M-Th 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. reserved for residential community only), Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.For Mod 1, day students will be asked to leave campus immediately following d-block activities.We currently have 20 open and marked seats in the library for use when students need to utilize library resources. Please note that when we have reached capacity, you will need to find another place to be until a seat becomes available. Students are asked to sign in when they arrive to help library staff maintain capacity requirements.The library is a mask wearing space only. No eating or drinking.If you would like to set up time for research support, to request material for pick up, or advice on your next read, use our form to connect you with the resources you need.READ
Each week, the CSW Library will feature one new(ish) title to our library collection--a quick take on the book and some identifiers to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.VAGABONDS by HAO JINGFANG
QUICK TAKEA century after the Martian war of independence, a group of kids are sent to Earth as delegates from Mars, but when they return home, they are caught between the two worlds, unable to reconcile the beauty and culture of Mars with their experiences on Earth in this spellbinding novel from Hugo Award–winning author Hao Jingfang.GOOD TO KNOW
This year, a number of our community members will be participating in school remotely. We want all of our library users to experience what is physically available here on campus, even if it means the inability to walk through the space and browse what’s here. The CSW Library has adopted a new opportunity for our remote community members: Physical Library Displays, Meet Digital World. This is an attempt to digitally recreate all of our physical displays so that you can interact with the collections. Digital art and iconography will attempt to match as closely as possible the signage with the display itself and all books will appear in a list as they are set up on the shelves. Please wander with us virtually, if you can’t wander with us in person. These displays will be updated in tandem with any changes we make to our in person displays. -
September 14 – Book of the Week
Read MoreBook of the Week: FELIX EVER AFTER
Each week, the CSW Library will feature one new(ish) title to our library collection--a quick take on the book and some identifiers to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
QUICK TAKEFrom Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time. The cover proudly depicts the protagonist baring top surgery scars. Groundbreaking.GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUTThis title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally through SORA in ebook format and audiobook.
USER GUIDE
READ: Highlighting new reads from our collection or great articles on the web
EXPLORE: Linking to a great online exhibit or collection, something with multimedia
LISTEN: A podcast / podcast episode of note ; an excellent audiobook
DO: Something to make; programs we are hosting
STACK OVERFLOW: Highlighting a Dewey Number in conjunction with a time of year or an event in history, etc. What are some books in this number that you might be interested in picking up to learn more
EXPLORE: Linking to a great online exhibit or collection, something with multimedia
LISTEN: A podcast / podcast episode of note ; an excellent audiobook
STACK OVERFLOW: Highlighting a Dewey Number in conjunction with a time of year or an event in history, etc. What are some books in this number that you might be interested in picking up to learn more
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.