vchurchill's blog

Looking for a New Series or Author to Explore?

Head to our fiction display on the second floor for a selection of “if you like…you might like…” books (end of stacks, near the PA-PR column). For example, if you like Ross Macdonald, you might enjoy reading the works of Raymond Chandler. Can’t get enough of Donna Leon? Check out Iain Pears or Andrea Camilleri. For fans of Phillip Kerr, there’s Collin Cotterill and Pierre Frei to explore. And lastly, if you are an avid Louise Penny reader, you may be interested in works by Ruth Rendell or Marco Vichi. These are a few examples of the many comparable authors on our shelves. Hopefully, you’ll find someone new!

Happy reading!

The High Window by Raymond Chandler Fic Chandler

Arcadia by Iain Pears Fic Pears

By Andrea Camilleri: The Age of Doubt Fic Camilleri and Montalbano’s First Case and Other Stories Fic Camilleri

By Colin Cotterill: The Coroner’s Lunch Fic Cotterill and Disco for the Departed Fic Cotterill

Berlin by Pierre Frei Fic Frei

By Ruth Rendell: The Babes in the Woods Fic Rendell and A Judgment in Stone Fic Rendell

By Marco Vichi: Death and the Olive Grove Fic Vichi and Death in August Fic Vichi

Summer Brings Shakespeare

An audiobook selection of Shakespeare’s plays featuring this season’s Shakesperian activities is on display on the second floor - next to the water cooler. This summer in the Bay Area, you can catch live renditions of Macbeth, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and As You Like It courtesy of Cal Shakes, Free Shakespeare in the Park, and Silicon Valley Shakespeare. In New York City, Much Ado About Nothing and Coriolanus. And, at London’s Globe Theater, it’s the Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Henry IV, and Henry V. If you can’t make it in person to one of these shows, never fear, you can listen to recordings at home or in your car courtesy of Mechanics’ Institute. We’ve got you covered!

Happy listening!

Macbeth CD 822 S521ma

A Midsummer’s Night Dream CD 822 S521mia

As You Like It CD 822 S521asa

Merry Wives of Windsor CD 822 S521mev

Much Ado About Nothing CD 822 S521mua

Henry V RBdigital eAudiobook

William Shakespeare: His Life and Work by Anthony Holden RBdigital eAudiobook

If you enjoy mystery, but are also in the mood for a little history, peruse our selection of fiction that mixes both genres on the second floor. There’s mystery and history set in Ancient Rome, WWII Hiroshima, colonial Boston, and more. You can find this selection on the second floor at the end of the PA-PR column.    

Happy reading!

Forgotten Murder by Dolores Gordon-Smith Fic Gordon-Smith

Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick Fic Patrick

The Story of H by Marina Perezagua Fic Perezagua

Memento Mori by Ruth Downie Fic Downie

The Throne of Caesar by Steven Saylor Fic Saylor

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee Fic Mukherjee

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl Fic Pearl

Why Kill the Innocent by C.S. Harris Fic Harris

If you’ve never tried an audiobook, consider celebrating Audiobook Month by checking one out today. A selection of fiction and non-fiction can be found by the water cooler on the second floor of the library. A sample is listed below as well. And, if you’re someone who prefers to go mobile, don’t forget you can check out a book through our eAudiobooks program (RBdigital).

Happy listening!

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders CD Fic Saunders

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King CD Fic King

The Good Lord Bird by James McBridge CD Fic McBride

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins CD Fic Hawkins

Theft by Finding Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris CD 818 S447

A Prairie Home Companion: Plenty of Pretty Good Jokes Audio 817 P89p

Fragments by Marilyn Monroe Audio 792.092 M75bc

Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them by Nancy Marie Brown RBdigitale Audiobook

A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking RBdigital eAudiobook

It’s always fun to read a book and recognize the ins and outs of the city depicted. This month a selection of SF-inspired fiction is on display on the second floor of the library at the end of the stacks (look for the PA-PR column). It’s a mix of SF classics, mysteries, and young adult fiction.   

Happy reading!

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Fic Doctorow

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett  Fic Hammett

Virgin Soul by Judy Juanita Fic Juanita

China Boy by Gus Lee Fic Lee c.2

28 Barbary Lane by Armistead Maupin Fic Maupin

McTeague by Frank Norris Fic Norris

1^st to Die by James Patterson Fic Patterson

The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth Fic Seth

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Fic Sloan

The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan Fic Tan

Daydreaming about your next vacation or wishing you could be transported to a new, different city? Well, for hassle-free travel, browse a selection of our audiobook collection on display on the second floor and get transported around the globe. Visit Central America, Rome, Jamaica, and more from the comfort of your home.

Happy listening!

The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston CD 972.85 P937

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr CD 813 D652

South and West by Joan Didion CD 813.54 D556

Goldeneye: Where Bond was Born: Ian Fleming’s Jamaica by Matthew Parker CD 92 F597pa

The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America, from Key West to the Arctic Ocean by Philip Caputo CD 973.93 C255

The Food & Wine of France: Eating & Drinking from Champagne to Provence by Edward Behr CD 641.5944 B421

Don’t Know Much about Geography: Everything You Need to Know about the World but Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis CD 910 D262

One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley by Caroline Alexander RBdigital eAudiobook

April is National Poetry Month! Browse our audiobook display on the second floor for a selection of poetry from our audiobook and eAudiobook collections.

Plus, don’t miss out on our National Poetry Month events here at Mechanics’ Institute cosponsored by Poetry Flash on April 3rd at 6:30 pm and April 11th at 6:30 pm. Event listings can also be found here: Events at the Mechanics’ Institute.

Happy listening!

The Caedmon Poetry Collection: A Century of Poets Reading Their Works CD 808.81 C12

Classic American Poetry: 65 Favorite Poems CD 811.08 C614

Poetry for the Beat Generation CD 818 K39 v.1

The Poet’s Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family CD 808.81 P746

The Classic Hundred Poems: All Time Favorites CD 801.8 C614

Langston Hughes CD 811 H889vc

Adrienne Rich CD 811 R498c

John Donne: Love Poems Connect to RBdigital eAudiobook

The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea by Mark Haddon Connect to RBdigital eAudiobook

Since March is Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8^th, we selected  audiobooks focused on women in history and women leaders for our current audiobook display. Enjoy historical tales of bravery alongside words of wisdom from contemporary women. There is a little bit of everything from life during the Tudor Age to life under the Taliban’s rule. Happy listening!

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History  by Elizabeth Norton CD 942.05 N882 

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II  by Liza Mundy CD 940.5486 M965

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War  by Karen Abbott CD 973.785 A132 

My Own Words  by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Harnett and Wendy W. Williams CD 347.73 G493g

What I Know for Sure  by Oprah Winfrey CD 791.45 W768

My Beloved World  by Sonia Sotomayor  CD 340.9 S718c

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban  by Malala Yousafzai  CD 371.82 Y82

Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World by Jennifer Palmieri CD 305.42 P179

This month our audiobook selection honors Black History Month. Listen to and explore works by African American writers of both fiction and nonfiction. From L.A. detectives (Cinnamon Kiss) to U.S. history (We Were Eight Years In Power) – there’s something for everyone!

How Are You Going to Save Yourself by JM Holmes, read by Damien Christopher CD Fic Holmes

Native Son by Richard Wright, read by Peter Francis James CD Fic Wright

Cadillac Orpheus by Solon Timothy Woodward, read by Dion Graham CD Fic Woodward

The Interruption of Everything by Terry McMillan, read by Desiree Taylor CD Fic McMillan

Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley, read by Michael Boatman CD Fic Mosley

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, read by Jay Long CD Fic Gaines

We Were Eight Years In Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates, read by Beresford Bennett CD 305.896 C652

The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America: From the Age of the Pullman Porters to the Age of Obama by Ethan Michaeli, read by William Hughes CD 071.73 M621

A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou, read by the author CD 92 A584soc