Posts by Kerri Wallace

Welcome to week two of this month’s Reader’s Den! The Heretic’s Daughter is Kathleen Kent’s first novel based on the Salem Witch Trials. While Kent did an extensive amount of research, the story is very close to her heart as she is a “tenth-generation descendant” of the main character, Martha Carrier.

Welcome to this month’s edition of The Reader’s Den! We will be reading and discussing the historical fiction novel, The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. You can request a copy of the book by visiting the New York Public Library’s online catalog or stopping by your local branch to pick up a copy.

Mulberry Street's Do It Yourself Series continues on October 19th at 6:30 p.m. We'll be constructing a paper magic folding box that is sure to please!

As some of you remember, this year's summer reading theme was "Be Creative!" Here at the Mulberry Street Branch, we participated by starting a summer Do It Yourself Series for adults. The program was held once a month and met with very enthusiastic participants. Mulberry's creative staff members transformed and revamped ordinary items into awesome and useful objects.

The first craft was a cereal box notebook using recycled cereal boxes and scrap paper. Who needs expensive Moleskine notebooks, when you can make your 

Thank you for participating in this month's book discussion! If you were unable to pick up a copy of The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, it is never to late to read the book and join the discussion. Feel free to post your comments any time by visiting The Reader's Den!

I hope you have been enjoying The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. Here are a few discussion questions to think about as you finish up the book. Feel free to post your own thoughts and comments!

Eric Weiner, the author of The Geography of Bliss, has been a correspondent for National Public Radio since 1993 and has been assigned to work in various places across the globe including India, Jerusalem, Iraq, and more. Weiner reported on serious topics in these places, so The Geography of Bliss allowed him to cover new territory and happier topics.

For some of us, taking an exotic vacation this summer just isn't in our budget, but sometimes it's nice (and maybe a little bit cheaper) to live vicariously through other travelers' stories. Join The Reader's Den this month as we travel with Eric Weiner in his book, The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World.

D.I.Y., or "Do it Yourself," is all the rage lately! On June 24th at 6:30 p.m. the Mulberry Street Branch launches its Summer Do It Yourself Series for adults. We'll be making simple books using recycled materials (bring an empty cereal box if you can). Just one way to Be Creative this summer!

Registration is required. RSVP by calling the library at 212-966-3424 or send us an email at mulberry_branch@nypl.org.

On May 27th at 6:30 P.M., the Mulberry Street Branch introduces you to our neighbors from Crosby Street, the Anne Frank Center USA. Established in 1977, the Center provides education and exhibits on the importance of tolerance through the memory of Anne Frank.

Saint Patrick's Day is tomorrow and March is usually the time when I reflect upon my heritage and honor my ancestors' history. Since March is also Women's History Month, I thought I would highlight some of my favorite female American Irish writers who inspire others to write and love great literature.

Born in 1851, Kate Chopin was the daughter of Thomas O'Flaherty, an Irish immigrant and a founder of the Pacific Railroad. Chopin was attuned to the Louisiana lifestyle and role of the submissive housewife, which she herself rejected (even though she eventually married and had six children). These observations were reflected and often criticized in her short stories, poetry, and 

The goal of the Reader's Den is to offer library readers with busy lifestyles a convenient and unique way to connect with books and The New York Public Library. This online book club, accessible 24/7, gives readers an easy way to spark insightful discussions with the surrounding community, while reading at his or her own pace.

In honor of the Oscar awards that took place this past Sunday, I thought I'd share some Hollywood drama in the fiction form. The following novels are set in Hollywood, California and cover various themes. From satire to mystery, these novels capture the Hollywood essence.

Thank you for participating in this month’s discussion! If you enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, here are some more titles that you might enjoy:

The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
The Lemur by Benjamin Black
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

Of course, you may also want to try some of the classic novels that were mentioned in the novel:

I hope everyone has been enjoying The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. The following are some questions to think about as you finish up the novel. These are just suggestions, so feel free to raise your own questions or highlight passages in the novel that you'd like to discuss further.

"A wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics." — Booklist

"Former academic Setterfield pays tribute in her debut to Brontë and du Maurier heroines: a plain girl gets wrapped up in a dark, haunted ruin of a house, which guards family secrets that are not hers and that she must discover at her peril." — Publishers Weekly

Welcome to the Reader's Den! This month we will be reading and discussing The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. You can reserve your copy of the book using the Library's Catalog or by visiting your local library. The Thirteenth Tale is also available in large print and audiobook formats.

Looking for a New Year's resolution? Why not join a book discussion group? Don't have time to make it to your local library's book club? Then join The New York Public Library's online book group, the Reader's Den!

At the age of ten, I was drawn to a particular copy of Moby Dick that my grandmother kept on her bookshelf. Its binding was made of blue and red leather with gold lettering. I was determined to read this book and so at my young age I sat on her bed and dove into the first page. "Call me Ishmael." About an hour later, I woke up. Rather than continue reading, I decided to steal the book from her shelf and finish it at a later time. Fifteen years later, I still have yet to read Herman Melville's Moby Dick and no one has ever questioned the mysterious disappearance of my grandmother's copy.

My grandparents were both born and raised in Newry, County Down, Ireland and remarkably never met until they both arrived in America. My grandmother was the first to come over in 1929 on a very small tugboat that took 10 days and she was apparently seasick for the entire ride and broke one of her favorite teacups. When she arrived in New Jersey, her uncle had told her that she had just missed supper and would have to wait until morning to eat. The next day, he threw a newspaper at her and told her to get a job. In 1930, my grandfather left from Belfast on a larger boat, which he would describe as if he had traveled on a luxury liner, and “danced” his way to America. When