We’re excited to announce our Book Ambassador for November & December 2021 is Ladette Randolph. The author or two novels, a short story collection, and a memoir, she has a new novel, Private Way, due out in March 2022. Randolph is a faculty member at Emerson and editor in chief of Ploughshares, an esteemed literary journal that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. You can find her books on our Local Author shelf.

Ms. Randolph has shared with us some of her most cherished books and purposefully stayed off the well-worn path, highlighting some lesser known authors and books. Click here to check out her selection.

Books make great holiday gifts for the readers in your life. If you’re still looking for ideas, please check out the four Holiday Gift shelves we have curated with FRBL. The Friends will receive 50% of store proceeds from all books sold from their lists, so this is also a great way to support great programming at our newly renovated branch!

Check out the shelves here:

• Adults

• Young Adults

• Middle Grades

• Early Grades

• Young Children

A few books we recommend include The Story of Hannukkah by David Adler and Jill Weber, a beautiful board book that tells the story of a great miracle. Hanukkah is a wonderful time filled with games, food, family, and fun. It's also the celebration of an ancient miracle, and retelling and remembering the story of that miracle is an essential part of the holiday, for young and old. This board book version of the popular and well-received picture book has been carefully pared down for preschoolers and toddlers and will introduce children to the Maccabean Revolt, the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, and the oil that burned for eight nights.

For middle-grade students, check out is Samira Surfs by Rukhsanna Guidroz and Fahmida Azim. The story is about Samira, an eleven-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, who finds strength and sisterhood in a local surf club for girls. Samira thinks of her life as before and after: before the burning and violence in her village in Burma when she and her best friend would play in the fields, and after when her family was forced to flee. There's before the uncertain journey to Bangladesh by the river, and after, when the river swallowed her Nana and Nani whole. And now, months after rebuilding a life in Bangladesh with her mama, baba, and brother, there's before Samira saw the Bengali surfer girls of Cox's Bazar, and after, when she decides she'll become one. Samira Surfs is a tender novel in verse about a young Rohingya girl's journey from isolation and persecution to sisterhood, and from fear to power.

Our recommendation for YA readers is a horror story with a twist. The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky follows new girl Rachel Chavez who turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring stabby serial killers and homicidal dolls to the bored rich kids of Manhattan Prep...and to certain memories, she'd preferred to keep buried. Then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious society of students who orchestrate Fear Tests, elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and movie tropes. At first, Rachel embraces the power that comes with reckless pranking. But as the Fear Tests escalate, the competition turns deadly, and it's clear Rachel is playing a game she can't afford to lose.

For adults, we recommend Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz. Fans will find Saffitz's signature spin on sweet and savory recipes like Babkallah (a babka-Challah mashup), Apple and Concord Grape Crumble Pie, Strawberry-Cornmeal Layer Cake, Crispy Mushroom Galette, and Malted Forever Brownies. She outlines the problems and solutions for each recipe, like what to do if your pie dough for Sour Cherry Pie cracks (patch it with dough or a quiche flour paste!), as well as practical do's and don'ts, skill level, prep and bake time, step-by-step photography, and foundational know-how. With her trademark warmth and superpower ability to explain anything baking-related, this book is ready to make everyone a dessert person.

Still looking for gift ideas? You may also want to check out some of our themed shelves such as:

• The Poetry Pharmacy

• The Music Department

• Art Museum Gift Shop

• Form Follows Function: Architecture + Design

• Green Building

• Green Living

We also just added a new bookshelf featuring 500 and 1000 piece Jigsaw puzzles, which are a fun relaxing pastime for the winter season and also make for great gifts for the puzzlers in your life.

A member of our Worker Owner Group, talented local artist Ana Crowley Noordzij, will be popping this weekend up at Workhub in the lower level of Substation with five other artists. Ana will be showcasing her exquisite ceramic pieces, and there will also be paintings, photography, jewelry, and clothing so you can find lots of great gift options for the holidays and support local artists!

There will be a preview event on Friday, Nov. 12 from 6 - 8 pm. The pop up will be Saturday, Nov. 13 from 10 am - 5 pm.