In the Stacks
In the Stacks in our new column highlighting staff and patron book choices and interests. Inspired by the New York Times feature, By the Book.
June/July 2023 - Phyllis B. Frank Pride Center of Rockland County
Loren Klein, Director of Health & Wellness
NL: Can you give us a short bio?
LK: I'm the Director of Health & Wellness at the Rockland County Pride Center. I work with local systems to improve access to safe and affirming care for LGBTQ+ people.
NL: What are you currently reading? Do you like it?
LK: I'm in between books currently, but considering diving into The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar.
NL: What books are on your night stand?
LK: Mostly nonfiction and art books that I like to revisit from time to time like Black Futures by Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew, Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility by Tourmaline, and Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi.
NL: Do you have a book "guilty pleasure"?
LK: Restaurant reviews! Even if I'll never go to the restaurants, there's something about the format of a big-city restaurant review that is really enjoyable to read. It's formulaic and comforting; nothing bad ever happens in a restaurant review.
NL: What do you plan to read next?
LK: I'm waiting for a boxed set of Ursula Le Guin novels to arrive. She provides inspiring visions of the future, particularly her book Always Coming Home.
NL: Can you give us a short bio?
LK: I'm the Director of Health & Wellness at the Rockland County Pride Center. I work with local systems to improve access to safe and affirming care for LGBTQ+ people.
NL: What are you currently reading? Do you like it?
LK: I'm in between books currently, but considering diving into The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar.
NL: What books are on your night stand?
LK: Mostly nonfiction and art books that I like to revisit from time to time like Black Futures by Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew, Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility by Tourmaline, and Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi.
NL: Do you have a book "guilty pleasure"?
LK: Restaurant reviews! Even if I'll never go to the restaurants, there's something about the format of a big-city restaurant review that is really enjoyable to read. It's formulaic and comforting; nothing bad ever happens in a restaurant review.
NL: What do you plan to read next?
LK: I'm waiting for a boxed set of Ursula Le Guin novels to arrive. She provides inspiring visions of the future, particularly her book Always Coming Home.
Kris Hillen, Operations Coordinator
NL: Can you give us a short bio?
KH:Old white lady with two rotten children, two rotten-er cats, and a pretty swell job.
NL: What are you currently reading? Do you like it?
KH: Recently finished Riding Fury Home and When We Were Sisters, reading Roses, In A Lion’s Mouth
NL: If you could have any author speak at Nyack Library, who would it be and why?
KH: Living, Roxane Gay…ridiculously smart/funny; Dead, James Baldwin or Leslie Feinberg…icons
NL: Which character in a book do you most identify with?
KH: Hasn’t been written yet
NL: What books are on your night stand?
KH: Well, there’s a couple on my nightstand, but there’s about 40 on the floor next to my nightstand. I’ll just give three. You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson , For the Hard Ones by Tatiana de la Tierra, and Snowflakes in Photographs by W. A. Bentley… he was the first guy to figure out how to take photographs of actual snowflakes. Fascinating.
NL: Are there any books that you feel are overrated?
KH: Books can often reflect a time and place that can’t be understood once that time has passed. But even at the moment, I never understood Bridges of Madison County.
NL: Do you have a literary "guilty pleasure"?
KH: Sure…Hoarding books that I will never have the time to read.
NL: Would you ever organize your books by color? Yea or Nay?
KH: What is this word “or-gan-ize”?
NL: You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
KH: See above. Roxane Gay, James Baldwin, Leslie Feinberg…I’d probably faint or hide in a closet (pun intended)
NL: What do you plan to read next?
KH: Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly… a couple of books I’ve mentioned here have been recommended to me by librarians… People should listen to librarians more.
NL: What's the first book that you remember reading?
KH: I don’t remember the name of it… but there was a woman on the cover with the most luscious apple you could imagine. And isn’t that really all books? An invitation to something delicious?
NL: What's your least favorite book?
KH: Anything written by anyone who thinks they have all the answers.
NL: Can you give us a short bio?
KH:Old white lady with two rotten children, two rotten-er cats, and a pretty swell job.
NL: What are you currently reading? Do you like it?
KH: Recently finished Riding Fury Home and When We Were Sisters, reading Roses, In A Lion’s Mouth
NL: If you could have any author speak at Nyack Library, who would it be and why?
KH: Living, Roxane Gay…ridiculously smart/funny; Dead, James Baldwin or Leslie Feinberg…icons
NL: Which character in a book do you most identify with?
KH: Hasn’t been written yet
NL: What books are on your night stand?
KH: Well, there’s a couple on my nightstand, but there’s about 40 on the floor next to my nightstand. I’ll just give three. You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson , For the Hard Ones by Tatiana de la Tierra, and Snowflakes in Photographs by W. A. Bentley… he was the first guy to figure out how to take photographs of actual snowflakes. Fascinating.
NL: Are there any books that you feel are overrated?
KH: Books can often reflect a time and place that can’t be understood once that time has passed. But even at the moment, I never understood Bridges of Madison County.
NL: Do you have a literary "guilty pleasure"?
KH: Sure…Hoarding books that I will never have the time to read.
NL: Would you ever organize your books by color? Yea or Nay?
KH: What is this word “or-gan-ize”?
NL: You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
KH: See above. Roxane Gay, James Baldwin, Leslie Feinberg…I’d probably faint or hide in a closet (pun intended)
NL: What do you plan to read next?
KH: Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly… a couple of books I’ve mentioned here have been recommended to me by librarians… People should listen to librarians more.
NL: What's the first book that you remember reading?
KH: I don’t remember the name of it… but there was a woman on the cover with the most luscious apple you could imagine. And isn’t that really all books? An invitation to something delicious?
NL: What's your least favorite book?
KH: Anything written by anyone who thinks they have all the answers.
May 2023 - Steve Cea, Nyack Library Board President
NL: What are you reading? Please elaborate on what you like about it.
SC: I just started the Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This book has all the things I like in a book. It’s historical fiction, so you learn a little something as you enjoy the story. There’s a compelling main character. It’s well written with a good story line that moves quickly. Most importantly, it’s about libraries.
NL: What's on your to-read pile?
SC: I’m currently juggling a mix of a few other books including: Remarkably Bright Creatures, Amusing Ourselves to Death, and The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. I read a limited number of fiction books each year so they need to be good. Shout out to my wife Julie who is a veracious reader and provides spot on recommendations.
NL: If you could have an author speak at Nyack Library, who would it be and why?
SC: Ezra Klein is an author, NY Times columnist, and podcaster. His theories and options are well reasoned and data based.
NL: Which character in a book would you most like to spend a day with?
SC: My favorite non-fiction character is Abraham Lincoln. As for fictional characters, there are almost too many options, but I’d select Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. His quiet confidence and embrace of the present moment is something I’d like to experience firsthand.
NL: What was the first book you read that was really meaningful to you?
SC: I can’t think of a first or any one book that is especially meaningful. Every book can impart some meaning, even if only to help shape your preferences. However, a general theme to many of the books that I find meaningful involves insights into the human condition with which I have no direct contact. It’s a way to foster empathy without a shared lived experience.
SC: I just started the Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This book has all the things I like in a book. It’s historical fiction, so you learn a little something as you enjoy the story. There’s a compelling main character. It’s well written with a good story line that moves quickly. Most importantly, it’s about libraries.
NL: What's on your to-read pile?
SC: I’m currently juggling a mix of a few other books including: Remarkably Bright Creatures, Amusing Ourselves to Death, and The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. I read a limited number of fiction books each year so they need to be good. Shout out to my wife Julie who is a veracious reader and provides spot on recommendations.
NL: If you could have an author speak at Nyack Library, who would it be and why?
SC: Ezra Klein is an author, NY Times columnist, and podcaster. His theories and options are well reasoned and data based.
NL: Which character in a book would you most like to spend a day with?
SC: My favorite non-fiction character is Abraham Lincoln. As for fictional characters, there are almost too many options, but I’d select Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. His quiet confidence and embrace of the present moment is something I’d like to experience firsthand.
NL: What was the first book you read that was really meaningful to you?
SC: I can’t think of a first or any one book that is especially meaningful. Every book can impart some meaning, even if only to help shape your preferences. However, a general theme to many of the books that I find meaningful involves insights into the human condition with which I have no direct contact. It’s a way to foster empathy without a shared lived experience.