books

You never wrote about your mother. Call it a challenge, an observation, or a dare, that was what Gish Jen was thinking as she set out to write her tenth book—did she want to wake up one day and realize she had never written about the one relationship that stood at the center of her life, no matter how painful it might be?In short, "Bad Bad Girl" is the story of a mother told through the eyes of her daughter. Opening in 1920s Shanghai, we first meet Agnes as a young girl who’s expected to behave and be quiet, and from there, our narrator takes us through the full arc of her life—from birth to death. Throughout, Agnes interrupts the narrative from beyond the grave to argue, amend, correct, and scold her daughter’s telling.

The Schenectady County Library is hoping to begin a new chapter as it begins developing a strategic plan. The library’s efforts come after a controversial decision last year left some patrons reading between the lines.

This week's Book Picks come from Jesse Hassinger from The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts and Matt Tannenbaum from The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts.

This week's Book Picks come from Cheryl McKeon from The Book House in Albany, New York and Giovanni Boivin from The Bookloft in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

This morning, we have two booksellers from two bookstores joining us with books we should pay attention to. This week we welcome Giovanni Boivin from The Bookloft in Great Barrington, MA and Jericha A. Harriman from of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont and Saratoga, New York.

This week's Book Picks come from Giovanni Boivin from The Bookloft in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and Matt Tannenbaum from The Bookstore in Lenox, Massachusetts.

This week's Book Picks come from Susan Taylor of The Book House in Albany, New York and Market Block Books in Troy, New York.

Diane Dearborn and Patricia Carley went on a very cool road trip. The library loving duo decided to visit all 36 branches of the Upper Hudson Library System. The result is their new book, "The Great Library Adventure: From Berlin to Berne."

This week's Book Picks come from Suzanna Hermans of Oblong Books in Millerton and Rhinebeck, New York.

This week's Book Picks come to us from Joan Grenier of Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts.