Blog

BOOKS

FICTION
Jonathan Coe Expo 58
Ann Hood An Italian wife
Jan Karon Somewhere safe with somebody good
Audrey Magee The undertaking
Randy Susan Meyers...

I am pleased to welcome Ralph Lewin as the Mechanics' Institute's new Executive Director. He replaces Executive Director Jim Flack, who retired after 15 years of service.

Mr. Lewin is eager to assume his new duties at the Mechanics' Institute. He comes to us after serving six years as President and CEO of Cal Humanities, where he was a fierce advocate for the support of the humanities in California and nationwide. His experiences at Cal Humanities range from supporting Academy Aw...

This month, get to know the multifaceted historical collection at Mechanics’ Institute Library through a few staff members’ favorite tomes. We’ll be selecting books about historical periods that interest us. Here’s a sample of the works that will be on display:

Taryn recommends Brave Companions by David McCullough (920 M133b)

Seventeen short biographies that McCullough penned over the years...

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In preparation for this month's Featured Collection, I looked back at the books I had read in the past year and noticed a pattern -- many of them were memoirs about life in nature: in a cabin by a pond, aboard a handbuilt sailboat, hiking the John Muir Trail, and so on.

Here are a...