It's the 12th annual list of my favorite books — the 2023 edition! This year was a good reading year; I read over 300 books for the first time since 2019 (although my TV watching decreased dramatically). There's something to be said for a comfy couch, a cup of tea, and a good book. It's a cliche for a reason! If… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2023
By written by Dena December 27, 2023 1
Previous Manga 101 installments took a look at isekai and sports manga; this time, we’ll explore another popular genre of manga: romance . From poignant stories of high school love to doomed romances with supernatural beings, romance manga is a hugely popular genre that includes a wide variety of styles and scenarios. While many of… continue reading Manga 101: Romance
By written by Meg B. August 15, 2023 4
Welcome to Year 11 of my annual list of favorite books and the third year of pandemic reading! I've started getting my reading mojo back and have been spending a bit more time reading than watching tv this year—268 books read in the last twelve months. This year you'll find fiction and non-fiction, mystery and (a lot of) romance,… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2022
By written by Dena January 3, 2023
It's that time of year again for my annual list of favorite books from the Philbrick Hall Fiction Department at Parkway Central Library ! Welcome to the tenth anniversary of this yearly list and the second year of pandemic reading! This year my reading slowed down even more—with only 220 books read. I blame a much-increased amount of… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2021
By written by Dena January 3, 2022
Yes, it’s that time of the year again, to head to the beach (or a heavily air conditioned reading nook) and dive into some fun reading! Here are some new and newish books that are perfect for giving yourself a mental vacation: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship alone, not knowing who he is or why… continue reading Summer Reading with Dena!
By written by Dena July 26, 2021
It's that time of year again for my annual list of favorite books from the Philbrick Hall Fiction Department at Parkway Central Library . It's been a hard year for a lot of people, and although I usually read around 350 books a year, I struggled to read just over 250 this year. Like before, I leaned heavily on comfort reads, so this… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2020
By written by Dena December 31, 2020
Ah those intense feelings of first love and sexual awakening – how heady and confusing and exhilarating! In ye olde school times when I was growing up, any books (or movies or television shows) showing teens in love and having sex always showed the characters facing DIRE consequences – like pregnancy or even death(!) Or they had to… continue reading Consent is Romantic!
By written by Rachel F. February 14, 2020
It's that time of the year again! Working in the Fiction Department of the Parkway Central Library means that I am always surrounded by excellent books to read. I read over 330 this year, and in narrowing it down to my top 30 published in 2019, I realized that once again I leaned hard into guaranteed happily-ever-afters and fantastic… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2019
By written by Dena December 30, 2019 9
It's Valentine’s Day and I feel like this is the perfect time to indulge in a good imaginary romance. I don’t know about you but I love a good teen romance novel: I love the hijinks, I love angst of first love, I love the misunderstandings, and I love love love the unlikely happy endings. So if you’ve already maxed out all… continue reading Young Adult Romance Novels to Warm Cold Hearts
By written by Rachel F. February 14, 2019 1
Are you as obsessed with Lara Jean as I am? Have you spent all week dreaming about Peter and finding all of those crushes and embarrassment so relatable? Join the club, friend! If you loved Jenny Han's To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before as much as I did, here are some read-alikes you may enjoy. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon… continue reading What to Read if You Loved To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
By written by Rachel F. September 6, 2018
Brenda Jackson was the first African-American author to make the New York Times Best Seller list in the Romance series category. Publisher’s Weekly has called her "a master" and USA Today has described her as "the indomitable Brenda Jackson." Most recently, Ms. Jackson has published her 120th book. Hear her discuss her… continue reading The Indomitable Romance Fiction of Brenda Jackson
By written by Kim B. March 13, 2018 1
Every year I read a lot of books. Out of the 339 that I read in 2017, I've picked out the 36 that I liked the best . 2017 was a hard year, and I found myself looking for books that were happy and not particularly difficult or challenging. I was looking for escapism and for me escapism involves a sense of optimism. That's not to say that… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2017
By written by Dena January 2, 2018
A few weeks ago The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore in Los Angeles, released the inaugural report on the State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing and it exposes some hard truths about the lack of diversity in traditionally published romance books in the United States. According to the report, of every 100 books published in 2016 by a… continue reading 5 African American Romance Authors to Keep Your Eye On
By written by Dena October 19, 2017 9
Although I think that one never needs an excuse for wanting a good happily-ever-after, I’m happy to take any chance I get to recommend some great romance books. Personally, I find it comforting to know that however uncertain the real world might be, It is guaranteed that if I pick up a romance book I can count on a happy ending. So in… continue reading Dive into Dena's Romance Picks for Valentine's Day!
By written by Dena February 10, 2017 2
Every year I read a lot of books. This year I’m at 329 and counting (I still have a day left...). This isn’t a strange statement coming from a librarian since it’s pretty much part of the job description—especially for us fiction librarians. And because I’m a librarian, I also enjoy making lists and organizing what… continue reading Dena's Favorite Books of 2016
By written by Dena December 30, 2016 1
I’m the children’s librarian who hosts weekly Storytime for babies. The librarian who voraciously reads early chapter books about aliens and graphic novels about unicorns and their humans. But I also devour romance novels, bodice rippers, and smut books by the page. I blame library school for this obsession. For years, all I read… continue reading #FLPNoShameNovember: Confessions Of A Children’s Librarian
By written by Mary W. November 1, 2016 1
When I was growing up you had to have a special sticker on your library card to be allowed to take out adult books. Eventually I convinced my parents that I had read every book in the kid’s section and I was ready to move up, even though I was still technically too young. The minute I got special permission for the ‘adult’… continue reading Getting Swept Away during #FLPNoShameNovember
By written by Dena November 20, 2015
On Monday, February 10th, the Free Library broadcast its first ever Google+ Hangouts On Air with Dena, Camille, and Karin discussing romance books and what they love about the genre. Live streaming video was broadcast via our Google+ page and our YouTube page. If you missed the live broadcast, no worries, you can watch an archived video of the… continue reading It's a Romance Video Podcast!
By written by Dena February 12, 2014
Many of our ebook readers have already discovered Freading. It's a great alternative to our Overdrive collection with a wide selection of titles from a growing list of publishers. Freading definitely has something for everyone, but romance fans have discovered that their especially strong collection of steamy titles is not to be… continue reading Now Get Even More from Freading!
By written by Jamie W. June 7, 2013 1
Romance Writers of America have just announced the winners of the 2008 RITA awards : RITA awards, named after RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada, are presented annually to the best published romance novels of the year. We have copies of all the winners (or on order) at the Free Library of Philadelphia: Best… continue reading Add a little romance to your life!
By written by Music Department August 15, 2008 46
