Biblio File

Read with Abandon This Weekend


Riverside, girls sitting in a circle by a sunny window, plants nearby, Digital ID 100863, New York Public Library

Stop staring at your computer screen, drop all your mobile devices, and head to your local library branch: today is national Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) day! Need some suggestions for reading material to celebrate the occasion? NYPL’s staff has you covered with book lists for readers, big and small.

If you’re looking for the latest New York Times bestseller, check out Adriana Blancarte-Hayward’s recent guide to the week of April 7, 2013, or choose from NYPL’s Bibliocommons list of available bestsellers

If you’re looking to please a littler reader, our list of Children’s Books 2012: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing will guide you to the best of the best from the past year in children’s and youth’s literature.

Of course, the classic way to celebrate D.E.A.R. day is with a Beverly Cleary book. This day is observed nationwide on April 12 in honor of Cleary, who turns 97 today and who first wrote about D.E.A.R. programs—greatly increasing their popularity in schools and libraries everywhere—in her 1981 novel Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

If you want to share your thoughts about what you’ve read with other NYPL patrons, you might be interested in one of our neighborhood library book discussion groups. Find more information about when these groups meet and what they’re reading this month

And, finally, if you have no idea what you’re looking for, just come into your local library and ask a librarian for his or her suggestions—they’re there to help you. There’s no better way to kick off National Library Week (April 14-20) than with a good book, so get thee to a library and start reading!