- March 7, 2024
Using an array of sketches, diagrams, and sequenced panels, graphic novelist Dan Nott presents an introduction to three modern wonders: the internet, electricity, and water systems. He explains the three topics through many facets—their historical development, their technological intricacies, their social importance, and their future challenges.
Much of the information in Hidden Systems might be familiar ...
Read more… - February 29, 2024
Mysterious disappearance of a loved one? Check.
Ages-old evil entity? Check.
Scary things back from the dead? Check.
All this plus a weird island that can’t be googled and seems to have stopped evolving past 1994. Makes for a page turning horror/psychological thriller. And did I mention fun 1994 references? Dead Eleven is told through a mix of ...
Read more… - February 22, 2024
I listened to the audiobook, O Beautiful by Jung Yun on the CloudLibrary online catalog and was invested in the story from the first few lines. It’s about a woman named Elinor in her forties trying to reinvent herself after a modeling career from her youth. When she gets the opportunity to write an article on ...
Read more… - February 15, 2024
Leaving aside those who wish to have children but don’t, there are surely as many reasons for not being a parent as for being one and as many ways to be as to not be one. The essays in Selfish, Shallow, and Self Absorbed are thoughtful and honest about the challenges of living an “authentic” ...
Read more… - February 6, 2024
Traditional fantasy takes on a brutal edge in Rebecca Yarros’ new novel, the immensely popular Fourth Wing. Violet Sorrengail, the youngest of the General’s three children, enters the Rider’s Quadrant with every eye on her – and not much hope of surviving the next few weeks. After all, a quarter of Rider Candidates never make ...
Read more… - January 30, 2024
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum
Although my teenage years fell right in the middle of the period British journalist Sarah Ditum spotlights in her new book, I spent the decade doggedly ignoring pop culture, because it terrified me. Toxic proves just how valid was my terror-—and how futile my efforts to flee ...
Read more… - January 25, 2024
I have such a new appreciation for the movies I grew up with and the work and art that was put into the animation for them. The women who created them are extraordinary and are finally getting the credit they deserve. The Queens of Animation was one of my favorite reads of 2023.
-Gia, Children’s Room
This ...
Read more… - January 16, 2024
Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is a must-read for anyone interested in what happens when you donate your body to science, and who wants to laugh hysterically out loud while reading about it.
-Samantha, Development Director
This title was featured on the list Favorite Staff Reads of 2023.
Read more… - January 9, 2024
An emotionally devastating manga series that combines the ethics of AI with a murder mystery and features some truly unforgettable characters. It was adapted recently into an anime series and while the entire series is terrific, the North #2 episode is especially beautiful.
-Sarah, Reference and Children’s
This title was featured on the list Favorite Staff Reads ...
Read more… - January 4, 2024
It was a great year for reading! Here are some of the PFL Staff’s favorites from 2023.
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
A delightfully unnerving collection of wild and genre-defying short stories. -Sarah, Reference and Children’s Room
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment
Spare by Prince Harry
Audio is a must! -Gia, Children’s Room
Wellness by Nathan Hill
The ...
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