Blog Posts by Subject: Nonfiction

It's the first day of Lent, but our collections can offer insight and guidance for any spiritual path.

While waiting between shows at Fashion Week, you might be in need of a good book. Champagne Supernovas: Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and the ‘90s Renegades Who Remade Fashion is reading for the runway.

The following titles are just a few of our new books, all available at the reference desk in Room 111.

We’re having our first book social at Mid-Manhattan and you’re invited! This month’s theme is love. We hope you’ll join us on Friday, February 13 to share a book you loved reading!

A criminal defense attorney with a quarter-century experience gives advice to young men of color in order to avoid and minimize harm done if they get arrested. However, it is useful for all citizens to know about and exercise their rights.

Mark Zuckerberg has committed to reading two books a month in 2015, "with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies.” Here's what we recommend he check out.

Joan Didion's stately prose, with its dry humor and turns toward observation, has enamored readers for the last five decades. A writer of fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays, she has taught us how to depart a once-loved city, critique "the process" of democracy, and of course, enjoy the pleasures of an elegant sentence.

Frigid temperatures are upon us, and that means one thing: keeping warm. How about foregoing the costly department store prices and creating your own awesome scarves, fuzzy socks and warm mittens. All you need are two hands, a couple balls of yarn, needle(s), a comfortable chair and a bit of free time.

Reading nonfiction books can open your eyes to different subjects and make you see them in a new light, and I’m not just saying that because I haven’t eaten a burger from McDonald’s since I read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Reading nonfiction books can change your perspective in both small and profound ways.

Are you making your New Year's Resolutions? Is one of them to read more or to connect more with other readers? We would love to see you in the Reader's Den, NYPL's online book discussion, in 2015!

With the holidays upon us, food is a topic at the front of our minds. The centerpiece of our tables, cultures, and familial traditions, food is nourishment for both body and mind. What we eat, however, is also at the center of a growing discipline that marries science and the humanities.

Beyond just the need of proving the innocence of a potential wrongfully convicted person, the show has brought to light issues of crime, sentencing, prison and the potential injustices we face.

The lost tribe of Coney Island... building the Statue of Liberty... a culinary history of America in 100 bites... the sinking of refugee ship The Wilhelm Gustloff during World War II... a close-up of the planet Mars... forgiving, remembering, and forgetting in personal and political contexts... a road trip through presidential libraries... curious New York activities... what online data can tell us about ourselves... reducing inequality in the 21st century... the history of New York's mass transit systems between 1940 and 1968... tales from a world traveler...

Sam Roberts discussed his latest book A History of New York in 101 Objects. He spoke about what he thinks the motto of New York City should be, seeing history through objects, and productive procrastination.

Just as the music CD Jock Jams inspired a generation to "Move It, Move It," many books and movies that focus on sports can be motivational, even if the reader or viewer is not interested in that particular activity.

Come join us for an Author @ the Library talk this November at Mid-Manhattan Library to hear distinguished non-fiction authors discuss their work and answer your questions.

In response to rising concerns about the environment, a tremendous outpouring of fiction, nonfiction, movies, and music that tackle the issue both directly and indirectly have infiltrated our daily rosters of cultural consumption.

Our reader asked us to recommend a good page turner for a long plane ride. Here are some titles you will want to read in one sitting from a variety of genres.

This month I asked colleagues what they are reading and learning about in their spare time.