First hour: Rochester and Western New York's favorite books of 2020, part 1
Second hour: Rochester and Western New York's favorite books of 2020, part 2We continue an annual Connections tradition by talking to different community members about their favorite books of the year. This year, we put the focus on librarians, whose work has changed during this pandemic. We about their “books of the year,” and about reading habits among patrons from across the community. Get a pen and paper so you can write a book list for yourself! Our guests in the first hour:
- Zoe Davis, librarian at Gates Public Library (“Passing” by Nella Larsen)
- Cassie Guthrie, director of the Greece Public Library (“Riot Baby” by Tochi Onyebuchi)
- Susie Flick, adult services library assistant at the Geneva Public Library (“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things” by Jenny Lawson)
- Greg Benoit, director of the Irondequoit Public Library (“The Buddhist on Death Row: How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place” by David Sheff)
- Abby DeVuyst, adult services programming librarian at the Fairport Public Library (“The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding” by Jennifer Robson)
- Beth Larter, school librarian in Gates Chili (“Prairie Lotus” by Linda Sue Park and “Dragon Hoops” by Gene Luen Yang)
Our guests in our second hour:
- Anna Souannavong, director of the Gates Public Library (Brené Brown’s podcasts)
- Ron Kirsop, executive director of the Pioneer Library System (“Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think” by Hans Rosling)
- John Cohen, director of the Ogden Farmers’ Library (“Peace Talks” and “Battle Ground” by Jim Butcher)
- Jenny Paxson, reader's discovery librarian at the Webster Public Library (“Memorial: A Novel” by Brian Washington, “Smoke Bitten” by Patricia Briggs, “The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton, “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism” by Robin DiAngelo, and “The Yellow House” by Sarah M. Broom)
- Matt Krueger, children's services librarian at the Irondequoit Public Library (“You Matter” by Christian Robinson)
- Alexis Lawrence, adult services librarian at the Wood Library in Canandaigua (“Small Great Things: A Novel” by Jodi Picoult)
- Adrienne Pettinelli, director of the Henrietta Public Library ("Leave the World Behind" by Rumaan Alam, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey" by Mariah Carey and Michaela Angela Davis, and "Kent State" by Deborah Wiles)
