What are Portsmouth librarians reading?

Some selections for bookworms

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Have some free time but nothing to read?

We recently asked the fine folks at the Portsmouth Free Public Library for some book recommendations. Here’s what they came up with — all recent releases:

Cynthia Merrill, library assistant 

Book: The Library Book, by Susan Orlean (Simon & Schuster, 2018)

Why are you reading this? “It's a true story about about the fire in the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986 and recounts the tragedy from the librarians themselves. It has a bit of a mystery twist in it as well, because the perpetrators of the fire were never caught.”

Nicole Carrubba, children's librarian 

Book: The Summer of a Thousand Pies, by Margaret Dilloway (Balzer + Bray, 2019)

Why are you reading this? “I liked the cover and it's a brand-new book. I like to read a lot of new books. It has a lot to do with baking and it's a coming-of-age story, which are among my favorites. It speaks of the character's development and growth through baking.”

Sue Rousseau, teenage/reference librarian 

Book: What I Leave Behind, by Alison McGhee (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2018)

Why are you reading this? “It's 100 chapters and each chapter has a total of 100 words. The story revolves around a boy who is coping with his father's death. It's a quick and easy read and something I usually recommend to teens who say they don't like to read. It has a tight format and that's what I liked about it.”

Carolyn Magnus, library director

Book: Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, by Mario Giordano (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)

Why are you reading this? “I am currently reading this with my book group in Newport. We read mostly light stuff and I decided to pick up this mystery instead.”

Portsmouth Free Public Library

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.