Posts by Gwen Glazer

We've picked out just a few facts about Potter that may surprise you. (Spoiler alert: The rabbit hole ends at Kate Middleton!)

Do you dog-ear? Use bookmarks or sticky notes? Write notes in margins? Or do you—heaven forbid—underline? We delve deep into the ethical implications of leaving your mark on library books. Plus: two new summer reads and one musical cue.

Whether you're psyched for the new Lion King movie or you're staying loyal to the original, remembering the story of Simba and his pals made us want to share some literary love for lions. We asked our book experts to recommend their favorites.

We wrote a blog post that ranked some of our favorite fictional librarians. We chose half a dozen and assigned scores that were definitely not arbitrary at all, and then … readers had a lot of opinions, so we've followed up on the original six with eight more.

To prequel or not to prequel? Frank and Gwen debate the new installment of the Hunger Games franchise and two very different books about life in two very different places.

It's a great time for adults to mix up their reading, too—whether you're hunting down a classic beach read (even if you're stuck in the city) or finally cracking open that giant biography you've been meaning to get to for ages.

Our next Summer Reading Challenge episode will be Aug. 8, and we'll be tackling Bunny, a brand-new blend of horror, fairy tale, and black comedy by Mona Awad.

Our newest round of Staff Picks—more than 100 titles that we're excited about right now—is ready for prime time! Whether you're lying on the beach or stuck on the L train with no a/c, you'll find something cool on this list.

Juneteenth has inspired literature for adults, including Ralph Ellison's classic novel of the same name, but there are also great books to introduce the holiday's stories and traditions to the youngest readers.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters come to the forefront in these eight books, which are set two decades during the two decades immediately preceding before Stonewall. Their novels were sometimes about secrecy and hiding, but also sometimes about coming out, empowerment, and asking questions or finding answers about sexuality.

Walt Whitman turns 200 today! In addition to The New York Public Library's exhibition called Walt Whitman: America's Poet, we're also giving Whitman control of NYPL's Instagram to celebrate his birthday.

This episode is brought to you by our soon-to-be-rival podcast, dreamed up by YA librarian Crystal Chen—who's also this week's guest! All rights reserved by her! We talk musicals, poetry, what it really means to create a list of "best" books, and professional development for library staff members.

Rumor has it that a couple people weren't thrilled with the finale of a certain long-running TV series recently, so we thought it might be a good time to offer up some contemporary books that approach fantasy from a different perspective.

Gwen and Frank tackle one book that feels comforting and homey; one that's distinctly unsettling; and one that's somewhere in between. Plus: A stranger on the train helps us deconstruct the genius of J-Patt.

We picked a few examples of our favorite food-focused picture books and decided to test your knowledge of the culinary delights therein.

Dr. Carla Hayden sits down with Gwen and Frank to discuss what it really means to lead the Library of Congress—which, by the way, isn't only FOR Congress. Plus: lessons she learned from storytime, how she organizes her home library, and the first time she ever saw herself reflected in a book.

Check out our first 2019 roundup of brand-new picture books being hotly debated by our Best Books for Kids committee.

It's the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and Jason Baumann—NYPL curator and Grand Marquessa of All Things Stonewall—joins Gwen and Frank to discuss the Library's new anthology about the uprising and its role in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. And then he walks us through some yoga breathing, and it's legit.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Children's Book Week—and the wonderful organizing principle that every child can be a reader—we wanted to pull out a few selections from our Staff Picks.