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Members sometimes ask a staff member what book they are reading at the moment. In my case, I explain that, well, it is hard to say. As I am primarily a non-fiction reader, I tend to use the “rule of three.” I may read just a few chapters in one book, then switch to reading one or two chapters in a different book, and move on to the next title. Then I make my way back to the first book.

Given the wide breadth of subjects in the Library collection, particularly in the social sciences and the humanities, the selection process and the time that I spend reading is all the more rewarding. Below are my current selections.

792.092 B218  Tallulah Bankhead: My Autobiography, was first published in 1952 and a New York Times bestseller for twenty-six weeks. She was an acclaimed actress of London's West End and on Broadway, and was famous for her snappy repartee, candid quotes, scandalous lifestyle, and calling everybody ‘Dahling’. The book really is a very witty and entertaining memoir. Anyone “of a certain age” will definitely recognize this celebrity.

942.01 L13  The Year 1000: what life was like at the turn of the first millennium : an Englishman’s world, written by Robert Lacey. The book is a portrait of everyday life, month by month, just before the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It was a much quieter world than today. We learn that people lived in wooden houses with dirt floors, usually died in their 40s, and that life revolved around the harvest, along with floods, disease and famine to contend with.

440.09 R53  A history of the French language by Peter Rickard. 

Having studied French (and Latin to a lesser degree), I consider the development of French over time is particularly interesting. It is the Romance language that has evolved furthermost from Latin. Its pronunciation and vocabulary are so different than Spanish or Italian for instance. In this book, the author examines what caused the language to evolve from the time it was Vulgar Latin spoken in Gaul, up to when it became standardized in a near modern form by the 17th century. The myriad examples of specific lexical and grammatical changes render this work particularly insightful.

Americans celebrate Independence Day with many patriotic displays, including parades, fireworks, and civic events. On July 4 we remember the many Americans who sacrificed their lives to make the United States a free country. Many of us will celebrate the holiday with picnics and barbecues, baseball games, family reunions, reading, and other enjoyable activities.

Perhaps you'd like to know more about this momentous holiday. On July 4, 1776, Congress declared that the original 13 American colonies were no longer subject to Britain. They were deemed united, free, and legally separated -- independent states forevermore.

MI's Library collection includes many books about the birth of our nation and the American Revolution. This is a perfect time to explore our reading list of staff-picked patriotic titles. Find even more books on United States history under the Dewey classification number 973.31 on Balcony 2A. Drop into the Library anytime between 12-4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-6 pm. No appointment is necessary. 

Russell Shorto - Revolution Song : a story of American freedom  973.3 S56r

The author takes us back to the founding of the nation, drawing on diaries, letters, and autobiographies of six very different figures weaving them seamlessly together into an engaging account of the American Revolution. The six lives include a man who freed himself and his family from slavery as well as a rebellious woman who abandoned her abusive husband to chart her own course.

Holger Hoock - Scars of Independence : America’s violent birth  973.31 H776

Hoock shows how the American Revolution is often portrayed in a whitewashed manner as an orderly rebellion with brave Patriots defending their noble ideals against what they considered an oppressive empire. Hoock's account of America’s founding indicates that the Revolution was not only a high-minded battle over principles, but also a violent civil war, one that shaped the nation. He provides a more accurate appraisal, revealing tensions between moral purpose and the violent tendencies of the past.

T. H. Breen - The Will of the People : the revolutionary birth of America  973.31 B83w

This book shows how ‘the will of the people’ is what created the nation. The author presents many stories that capture the powerful sense of equality and responsibility resulting from this process of self-determination.

Tom Shachtman - The Founding Fortunes : how the wealthy paid for and profited from America’s Revolution  973.31 S524

The author shows that a successful revolution depended on participation by the common man but was preceded by wealthy colonials who united to disrupt the very system that had enriched them. The book features a dozen notable Revolutionaries who affected the finances and birth of the new country while making and losing their fortunes. This book provides a riveting history of economic patriotism.

Pauline Maier - American Scripture : making the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776  973.31 M21

The author presents the Declaration as the defining moment of our national identity as well as the moral standard that shaped a young nation. She describes the tortuous struggle by which Americans achieved iIndependence. 

Thomas P. Slaughter - Independence : the tangled roots of the American Revolution  973.311 S63

A century before 1776, the author explains how the long process of revolution actually began fomenting in the colonies. Slaughter examines why these revolutionary ideas permeated the colonies’ laws, commerce, social structures, religious sentiments and political interests, and other ways in which the struggle toward independence manifested itself.

Sophia A. Nelson, Esq. - E Pluribus One : reclaiming our founders’ vision for a United America  973.31 N424

A how-to guide on citizenship and political leadership. Nelson's book is brimming with straightforward talk about our founders’ vision of unity and how America became stronger through diversity.

Did you know that the Mechanics’ Institute Library has hundreds of titles in e-book format to address all your financial information needs?  It’s true! Reference librarian Craig has gathered together a follow-up list of suggested titles on investing, personal finance and retirement. Clicking on the book title takes you to the library’s catalog. All you need to check out is your 14-digit barcode number (no spaces or hyphens) on your member card.

The Laptop Millionaire: how anyone can escape the 9 to 5 and make money online by Mark Anastasi

Discover financial freedom online using step-by-step strategies developed by the author. You’ll learn how to replace your income in 90 days or less and forget about having a job.

The Latte Factor: why you don’t have to be rich to live rich by David Bach and John David Mann

Discover the secrets to financial freedom in an engaging story that will show you how to make shifts in spending to secure your financial future.

The Little Book of Market Myths: how to profit by avoiding the investing mistakes everyone else makes by Ken Fisher

Debunks commonly held investing myths and misconceptions, explaining why each belief or strategy is wrong and how damaging it can be to financial health.

The Millionaire Next Door: the surprising secrets of America’s wealthy by Stanley Thomas

The accumulation of wealth in the United States is most often done by hard work, diligent savings, and living a frugal lifestyle. Find out how you too can make lifestyle changes for financial success.

The Money Answer Book: quick answers to your everyday financial questions by Dave Ramsey

Social Security for Dummies by Jonathan Peterson

A guide to help you navigate the complex world of Social Security retirement benefits. Clear guidance on when to claim benefits, how much you can expect to receive, and how to take charge of your retirement.

The Value Investors : lessons from the world’s top fund managers by Ronald W. Chan

Explores how life experience, culture and background have profoundly shaped some of the world’s most successful investment gurus.

You Are a Badass at Making Money: master the mindset of wealth by Jen Sincero

Did you know that the Mechanics’ Institute Library has hundreds of titles in e-book format to address all your financial information needs?  It’s true! The list of suggested titles was compiled by reference librarian, Craig for readers seeking more information about investing, personal finance and retirement. Click the book title to take you to the catalog. All you need to check out is your 14-digit barcode number (no spaces or hyphens) on your member card.

55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: your guide to a better life - by Elizabeth White

This is a straightforward guide for people in their fifties and sixties who find themselves unemployed and financially incapable of retiring. The author provides practical solutions with a focus on retirement and maximizing savings. White maintains a realistic, empathetic tone throughout. This useful resource will resonate with readers who are planning for nearing retirement.

Day Trading Stocks the Wall Street Way: a proprietary method for intra-day and swing trading - by Josh DiPietro 

Learn successful day trading from a professional. The author gives you the tools, techniques, and tested, reliable methods you need to trade like pros.

Dollars and Sense: how we misthink money and how to spend smarter - by Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler

Emotions play a powerful role in shaping our financial behavior, often making us our own worst enemies as we try to save, access value, and spend responsibly. The authors challenge many of our most basic assumptions about the precarious relationship between our brains and our money, revealing the emotional forces working against us and how we can counteract them.  Readers will learn the practical tools and choices to better understand the psychology of saving and how to spend smarter.

Downhill from Here: retirement insecurity in the age of inequality - by Katherine S. Newman

This book examines the financial uncertainties for retirement in America. As millions of Baby Boomers reach their golden years, the state of retirement is precarious. Nearly half the households with people aged 55 and older have insufficient retirement savings. The real estate crash wiped out the home equity that millions were counting on to support their retirement. Given that the typical Social Security check covers less than 40% of pre-retirement wages and is forecast to drop to under 28% within two decades, the author makes it clear that America can and must do better.   

The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money: thirteen ways to right your financial wrongs - by Jill Schlesinger

Schlesinger encourages readers to identify major monetary blind spots to regain control over personal finances. Schlesinger’s no-nonsense approach will give readers greater insight into making smarter financial decisions.

The End of Money: counterfeiters, preachers, techies, dreamers--and the coming cashless society - by David Wolman

The usefulness of physical money—to say nothing of its value—is coming under fire. With the possibility that cash will soon disappear. Wolman investigates the future of money…and how it will affect your wallet. The author explores an aspect of our daily lives so fundamental that we rarely stop to think about it. Read this book and you’ll never look at a dollar bill in the same way again.

How to Really Ruin Your Financial Life and Portfolio - by Ben Stein

Everyone's searching for the secrets to financial success but what about the best ways to lose money fast? This is an accessible, humorous book with invaluable tips on how to avoid the biggest money blunders, as well as essential advice on smart money management and building a profitable financial portfolio. Stein covers topics such as reading and acting upon investing newsletters, trading on a margin, and investing in bonds.

The Library holds hundreds of titles in eBook format, including an abundance of history selections. In previous weeks, we’ve offered a glimpse of 20th-century American history offerings focusing on San Francisco and California, the U.S., and nationally noteworthy figures. Below, our final sample list in this series suggests the range of eBooks available on additional 20th-century U.S. history topics.

Click on any title below to learn more about it, or click here to browse the wealth of history books accessible through the eBook app Axis 360.* Just follow the onscreen prompts for checkout.

1946: The Making of the Modern World by Victor Sebestyen

A powerful, revelatory book and compelling narrative about the year that would signal the beginning of the Cold War, the end of the British Empire, and the beginning of the rivalry between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Democracy on Earth by Rachel Maddow

Maddow’s second book charts America’s dangerous drift into a constant state of war. Written with bracing wit and intelligence, the author argues that we've moved away from America's original ideals and become a nation weirdly at peace with perpetual war.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

This eBook is an improbable account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. The University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team never expected to defeat the elite East Coast and U.K. teams.

The General and the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War by H.W. Brands

The author tells the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America's future in the aftermath of World War II. From the drama of Stalin's blockade of West Berlin to the entrance of China into the war, this book evokes the making of a new American era.

The Russian Job: The Forgotten Story of How America Saved the Soviet Union from Ruin by Douglas Smith

In 1921, Russia faced one of the worst famines in history and asked the American Relief Administration (ARA) for assistance. The author reveals how the ARA, a small, daring band of U.S. citizens, fed more than ten million men, women, and children across a million square miles of territory. A riveting account of a cooperative effort.

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

This book sheds bright light on a long history of demagogic national politicking, beginning with Andrew Jackson. It makes Donald Trump seem far less unprecedented than today’s pundits proclaim. An eloquent synthesis of the country’s history of class stratification.

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*Have questions about accessing eBooks? Just email our librarians at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.

Biographies of historical figures are always popular with readers. This week, we highlight biographies of notable 20th-century Americans in a sample list of history eBooks available to MI members. Click on any title below to learn more about it, or click here to browse the wealth of history selections accessible through the eBook app Axis 360.* Just follow the onscreen prompts for checkout.

Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months that Changed the World by A.J. Baime

An entertaining book about a hero—an ordinary character who got pushed into extraordinary circumstances and, through courage and luck, cemented his place in history.

Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century by John Loughery and Blythe Randolph

The first fully authoritative biography of Dorothy Day, the American icon, radical pacifist, Catholic convert, and activist whom Pope Francis I compared to Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. After a middle-class Republican childhood and a few years as a Communist sympathizer, Day was a prominent anomaly in American life for almost fifty years.

Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years and After by Blanche Wiesel Cook

This work is the third and final volume in the definitive biography of America's greatest first lady. The author shows how she became a leader and a visionary and, after FDR’s death, returned to the spotlight as a crucial player in the founding of the United Nations.

JFK'S Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President by Thurston Clarke

A revelatory, minute-by-minute account of President Kennedy’s last hundred days that asks what might have been, fifty years after his death, had he lived to make good on his extraordinary promise.

The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer

A powerful collection of the influential columnist and public intellect’s most important works, featuring rare speeches and a major essay about today’s populist movements and the future of global democracy.

Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World by Linda Hirshman

The author tells the fascinating story of the intertwined lives of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first and second women to serve as Supreme Court justices. Includes stories of how these trailblazers fought for their own recognition in a male-dominated profession.

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*Have questions about accessing ebooks? Just email our librarians at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.

The focus is on 20th-century America in this week’s sample list of history e-books available to MI members. Click on any title below to learn more about it, or click here to browse the wealth of history selections accessible through the e-book app Axis 360.* Just follow the onscreen prompts for checkout. (Coming next week - history-makers’ biographies!)

American Avatar: The United States in the Global Imagination by Barry A. Sanders

The extensive literature on the United States’s image abroad leaves readers with a false impression that foreigners’ views of America are normally negative. Sanders analyzes both anti-American and pro-American biases but focuses on the former.

A History of American in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis

This book is a thrilling and timely account of ten moments in history when labor challenged the very nature of power in America.

One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The book begins with Charles Lindbergh becoming the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop.

The Pioneers by David McCullough

The author rediscovers an important and dramatic chapter in the American story, the settling of the Northwest Territory by dauntless pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would come to define our country.

What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner

In discussing our national identity, Rather has emerged as a voice of reason and integrity, reflecting in a collection of original essays on what it means to be an American. He examines the freedoms that define us, the values that have transformed us and the institutions that sustain us.

The World Remade: America in World War I by G.J. Meyer

A bracing account of U.S. involvement in the Great War and the consequences of plunging the country into the savage European conflict that would redraw the map of the globe.

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*Have questions about accessing e-books? Just email our librarians at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.

San Francisco and California 20th-Century U.S. History, Part 1 of 4

The Mechanics’ Institute holds hundreds of titles in e-book format, including a wealth of history books. In fact, our digital history collection includes some forty sub-topics (mostly geographical). In this, the first of four lists we’ll be posting, you’ll find a sample of our e-book offerings on local and state history.

Click on any title below to learn more about it, or click here to browse all history selections available to MI members through the e-book app Axis 360.* Just follow the onscreen prompts for checkout.

Alta California: From San Diego to San Francisco, a Journey on Foot to Rediscover the Golden State by Nick Neely

A chronicle of the author’s 650-mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco, following the route of the overland Spanish expedition in 1769 into what would soon be called Alta California.

California Exposures by Richard White

A brilliant California history, in word and image, where legend has so thoroughly become fact that it is visible in everyday landscapes. Evocative photographs illustrate the sites of the author’s historical investigations.

A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester 

Brings to life the extraordinary event that leveled a city symbolic of America's relentless westward expansion. The author has also fashioned an enthralling and informative look at the tumultuous subterranean world that produces earthquakes.

Iconic San Francisco: Dishes, Drinks & Desserts by Laura Smith Borrman  

The roots of San Francisco’s celebrated food and drink culture are as diverse as the city itself. Discover the origins of local specialties like Chicken Tetrazzini, chop suey, the classic martini, and how a lack of refrigeration spawned the signature Anchor Steam Beer. The book includes recipes from beloved establishments.

San Francisco by Robert W. Bowen

Documents, through inexpensive picture postcards, a series of momentous events in San Francisco history such as the 1906 earthquake, labor strikes, festivals, and a world’s fair, plus engineering marvels like the Golden Gate and Bay bridges.

Silicon City: San Francisco in the Long Shadow of the Valley by Cary McClellan

The author describes how Silicon Valley has reshaped the Bay Area, offering a complex portrait of a region changing at warp speed. His thesis: the richer the area gets, the more unequal and less diverse it becomes, with rapid gentrification and rising crime.

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*Have a question about accessing e-books? Email our librarians at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.

Not only is money on many of our minds right now, but also April happens to be National Financial Literacy Month. That makes it the perfect time to investigate the extensive financial databases that Mechanics’ Institute members can access remotely. All you need is your library card to explore these searchable indices of published resources on finance, investments (stocks, mutual funds, etc.), companies, and the overall industry. (For instructions, scroll to the end of this post.)

Our top financial databases include:

Mergent Intellect 

This resource provides an extensive collection of worldwide business information with insightful business intelligence. Coupling Mergent's expertise in developing reference products with D&B®'s private company database, Mergent Intellect offers private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, industry profiles, and more.

Morningstar Investment Research Center

Morningstar is a premier source of unbiased information that compiles and analyzes thousands of stocks, mutual funds, and general market data, along with investment ideas for individual investors, financial advisors, and institutional clients.

Proquest ABI/INFORM Collection 

The collection features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, key business and economics periodicals (e.g., The Economist; Sloan Management Review), country-and industry-focused reports, and major news sources like the Wall Street Journal. Its international coverage provides a complete picture of companies and business trends around the world.

Value Line Resource Center

Along with Morningstar, Value Line is one of the most widely-used independent investment information publications. The online version contains information on more than 7,500 publicly traded companies, along with mutual fund and daily options surveys.

For remote access to financial and other databases available through Mechanics’ Institute:

1. To get started, click here.

2. Scroll down until you find the title you want.

3. Click on the title.

4. Follow the screen prompt to enter your name and 14-digit Mechanics’ Institute barcode number (no spaces)

5. Click on “Sign In.”

6. You will now be on the home page of the database.

7. Need help? Email our librarians at [email protected]

Making a purchase request for the MI collections is a popular and extensively used benefit of membership. Suppose you recently read a book review of a title that you look forward to reading. You check the Library catalog and discover that the book is not held in the collection. Fill this gap by requesting that we acquire the item.

Each month, the Library receives eighty-plus purchase suggestions, mainly for fiction titles and non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects, as well as DVDs, music and audio CDs, e-books and even magazine subscriptions. Most requests cover recently published items, but it is surprising how many requested items are out-of-print with a much older publication date. These older titles are given the same consideration as recently published works. It is fair to say that over 85% of member requests are purchased after being submitted to the librarian who selects materials in the subject area. Evaluating each suggestion means looking at price, expected level of interest to other members, authority of author and publisher, presence of favorable published reviews of item, publication date, and the degree to which the book would duplicate coverage already in the collection or, ideally, fill a hole.

As a courtesy, we don't place a cap on the number of requests a member may make in any given month. The number of purchase requests has increased dramatically since we added a feature whereby members can indicate that they would like us to place a hold on the item when it arrives. If you request a hold on your suggestion, we normally notify you by e-mail when your purchase request has been ordered, processed and is shelved at the 2^nd floor Circulation Desk waiting for you to check it out. If your purchase request is declined, we will contact you and explain why. The price may be exorbitant or the content may be too erudite and better suited for an academic library. Otherwise, you can assume that your request will be ordered!

Submit a purchase request by filling in a form accessible from the Institute web homepage and submitting it. Simply display the MI homepage and click ‘Books and More’; then select 'Purchase Suggestion’ to display the webform. The hold option is displayed toward the bottom of the purchase request form; to request that your suggestion be held for you upon arrival, select the 'YES' radio button before clicking 'Submit'. At the same time, we advise you to check that your e-mail address, keyed in on the webform, is up-to-date.

Most materials acquired for the Library are titles reviewed by staff librarians that are featured in Kirkus Reviews, Publishers’ Weekly, Library Journal, The New York Times Book Review, and other newspaper and book review sections of magazines. However, many suggestions submitted by members are titles that have not come to the librarians’ attention. A vital gap may be filled when we order these requests. Members clearly have some input into the Library’s collection development policy. What a great benefit of membership!