Book picks

We asked the esteemed librarians at the Enoch Pratt Free Library central branch to dream up a required reading list for fall. Drawing upon several departments, they put together a list sure to challenge, entertain, and educate. We’re excited to start our homework!

From Fiction:

The Whole World Over
(Pantheon, 2006) by Julia Glass
Greenie Duquette leaves her husband in Manhattan and relocates to New Mexico—with her young son—to be the governor’s pastry chef.

Intuition
(Dial Press, 2006) by Allegra Goodman
Hopscotching points of view, Goodman explores complex politics at a cancer research laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The World to Come
(W.W. Norton and Co., 2006) by Dara Horn
During a singles event at the Museum of Hebraic Art, Benjamin Ziskind, a game-show writer, steals a Chagall painting—he intends to prove belongs to his family.

Baltimore Noir
(Akashic, 2006), edited by Laura Lippman
Baltimore is the setting for a collection of stories from the dark side by Marcia Talley, David Simon, Tim Cockey, Rob Hiaasen and others.

From the Acclaimed African American Section:

Black Maestro: The Epic Life of an American Legend
(Morrow, 2006) by Joe Drape
The story of the epic life of Kentucky Derby victor Jimmy Winkfield, who fled his racist native Kentucky and became the toast of the Russian Empire—on horseback.

Encyclopedia of the Blues
(Routledge, 2006), edited by Edward Komara.

Thurgood Marshall: His Speeches, Writings, Arguments, Opinions, and Reminiscences
(Lawrence Hill Books, 2001), edited by Mark V. Tushnet.

From the Maryland Section:

Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay
(Little, Brown and Company, 1976) by William W. Warner
The highly lyrical, Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction portrait of local watermen and water life.

Rediscover reading!

You can’t go back to school; but you can go back to the library. Baltimore is a city steeped in literary tradition—and rich in libraries. Take advantage of these gifts today—with or without the children in tow…

Twenty-two branches of the Enoch Pratt Free Library are peppered throughout Baltimore. But the luxurious central location is by far the most fun to visit.

The library—a gift from businessman and philanthropist Enoch Pratt—opened on January 5, 1886, and represented the very first public library system in the United States. In 1933, the attractive block-long main building was constructed to accommodate a growing book collection and improve appearances—architect Clyde M. Fritz designed the structure.

The library’s more elaborate interior is a palette of marble, bronze, and fine carved wood. Massive oil paintings of six Lords Baltimore line the walls. And the gorgeous ceiling of the reference room is molded and richly painted after a ceiling in the Vatican.

The central branch features an immense collection of fiction, an Afro-American rare books collection, a cool kids’ section housed in the basement, a thorough Maryland history section, including more than 24,000 historic photographs, a voluminous business section, free internet service, DVDs, loads of periodicals, including The Baltimore Sun (1837-current), Ebony magazine (1949-current), and Life magazine (1936-2000), and a whole lot more. 400 Cathedral St. 410.396.5430, http://www.pratt.lib.md.us

More libraries to love:
The Towson Library
320 York Road
(410) 887-6166
Part of the stellar Baltimore County Public Library system—in addition to its impressive collections, helpful staff and easy online resources—features a full service coffee bar and spacious meeting rooms for rent. Also great: the “Kids’ Kingdom,” complete with mini castle, and the baby play area for teeny-tiny patrons.

The Catonsville Library
1100 Frederick Road
(410) 887-0951
Part of the BCLP system, too, this library is a really charming place to visit. It is situated on a historical landmark, “Castle Thunder,” original home of the Caton family, who founded Catonsville. The children’s courtyard mural is striking, and the library, the third busiest in the county system, houses a great many periodicals and other reference materials. http://www.bcplonline.org