Posts by Kerri Wallace

I'm sure you've created a wish list in your mind that contains some impossibly unattainable items. For example, one of my wish list items includes a home on a private island. While my improbable wish list grows, I have started another list — an eNYPL wish list — where at least my reading dreams will come true.

My fellow eNYPL users: my number one eNYPL tip is to utilize the wish list feature, if you haven't already done so.

After the unfortunate death of my Sony Reader, I went through the five stages of grief, as the loss of my device was a very dramatic event. I denied that it was broken, I threw a temper tantrum, I told a Best Buy employee that I would do anything to have it back, and I cried on the train, but I finally came to accept that I had sat on my Sony Reader and I alone was to blame. As I browsed sadly through the eNYPL catalog, images of the distinctly curved cracked screen flashed through my head, and I imagined the day when I could once again comfortably read a book on my 1 1/2 hour (sometimes standing) train commute. Finally the day came when I was united with a new eReader — 

As the year 2011 comes to a close so does this year's season of the Reader's Den, The New York Public Library's online book group. And what an exciting year it was! We visited France and Russia, surfed, talked to authors, recited poetry, and even went digital. We covered a wide variety of themes, including teen books, history, mystery, and a great classic. We even covered the meaning of everything itself!

It was 7 a.m. when I arrived in Dublin, and I looked greasy, unrested, and ready to hurl after the vegetarian Indian curry that was my in-flight 3 a.m. "dinner." I unhappily waited my turn through customs and prepared for the official behind the plexiglass panel to ask me the standard questions. I answered the gentleman with the demeanour of a zombie, but suddenly perked up when he made a cheerful, sing-song assumption I wasn't expecting:

"You're here to meet a man!"

Cooking is a very stressful situation that I do my best to avoid. I always get really excited and anxious when I decide to cook, but halfway through the process every burner on the stove is on, bowls, plates, and utensils have piled up on the counter, and all I’ve ended up making is a bowl of spaghetti for one. But as Thanksgiving rolls around my mother always asks the dreaded question, "What are you making?" I’m beginning to think that she regrets asking this question because the extent of my culinary assistance on Thanksgiving Day is opening up a can of cranberry sauce and plopping it into the fine china.

This past Fourth of July, I decided to explore the Finger Lakes region with my Summer Reading avatar, Confused Misty Stingray. The Finger Lakes are located southwest of Syracuse, New York, and are known for their fertile soil for vineyards. The area is called the Finger Lakes because five of the lakes run parallel with each other and almost resemble a hand.

"We just passed two huge black bears on the trail. They're not cute."

My hike in Harriman State Park started off with the only concern being the chance of rain and ticks. I had packed my 99 cent rain poncho and doused myself in OFF bug spray to the amusement of my friends. I could handle seeing snakes, bucks, and other wild animals, but ticks were the last thing I wanted to find on my body or in my hair. My fears soon changed when we passed a father and daughter who mentioned the two black bears they had come upon, which unfortunately happened to be in the direction we were headed. On we pressed, clapping our hands and serenading the hiding bears with today's 

I would like to introduce you to my summer reading avatar, Confused Misty Stingray. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you should swing by the Summer Reading website to create your own avatar and start keeping track of the books you read during the summer. You can keep track of movies, music, and video games as well. Usernames are randomly selected for you by the website, so do look forward to your future avatar's weird name!

I recently moved into a new apartment with a friend of mine from grade school and one of our big splurges was the magical DVR player. For someone who rarely has time to watch TV, I was given a basic lesson by my roommate in how to record shows. As we were scrolling through TV listings, I found myself announcing the shows and movies that were first published as books. And to my roommate's displeasure, I decided to record The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 

While I may be a beginner at DVR'ing, I'm well experienced at placing holds via The New York Public Library's Catalog. Here are some book recommendations that have inspired some of 

Thank you for joining this month’s Reader’s Den featuring Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

I hope you enjoyed reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery this month.  Here are some questions to think about, but feel free to post thoughts and comments about what you liked or didn't like about the novel.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, or L’Élégance du Hérisson, is a best-selling French novel written by the author Muriel Barbery and was translated into English by Alison Anderson. The novel centers around an upscale apartment in a well-to-do neighborhood of Paris and is alternately narrated by the concierge and a young female resident.

Welcome to this year's edition of the Reader's Den!  In case you're stumbling across this page for the first time, the Reader's Den is an online book discussion group led by New York Public Library's very own librarians and staff.  Each month a book, poem, or short story is chosen and discussed right here on NYPL's website.  Read along each week and post your thoughts and comments throughout the month.

In case you didn’t get alerted by Facebook’s birthday notifications, Friday was Emily Dickinson’s 180th birthday. Don’t worry, I missed it, too. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t honor the classic poet here on the Reader’s Den!

I hope you've enjoyed following the spiritual journey of Brida O'Fern in Paulo Coelho's Brida.  The following questions can help jumpstart the conversation about the novel, but feel free to comment on other aspects of the novel that stood out for you.  To avoid any spoilers, follow the link to read more and view the discussion questions.

Welcome to September's edition of the Reader's Den!  This month we will be reading Paulo Coelho's novel, Brida.  Brida is the novel of a young, Irish girl on a mystical journey of self-discovery. 

Not having a good book to read can be a crime. Inspired by the new release of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., here is a list of recommended crime and detective fiction.   

It's year two of the Reader's Den and we have an exciting, diverse selection of books to discuss! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Reader's Den, "RD" is The New York Public Library's online book discussion group available 24/7.  Each month a different title is selected by one of The New York Public Library's librarians and then discussed on the Reader's Den blog. Posts will feature reviews, summaries, author information, as well as discussion questions.

Thank you for participating in this month’s Reader’s Den! I hope you enjoyed reading The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. Feel free to come back and post your thoughts and comments about the novel.

If you’re interested in reading other books relating to the Salem Witch Trials, you should try one of these: