Category: Recommendations

• Novels for the Nervous System

  Scanning the shelves of the Russell Library, I find myself drawn in by a cozy bookstore, a quaint cafe, and a magical library. The warm glow of a whimsical storefront captures my attention, my focus lingers as I admire an adorable feline surrounded by steaming cups of coffee. These cozy, pastel-toned scenes offer an immediate…

  Cate T.

  July 13, 2026

  Book Reviews, Recommendations, Trending

  AMidnightPatryShopCalledHwawoldang, BeforeTheCoffeeGetsCold, BestWishesFromTheFullMoonCoffeeShop, DinnerAtTheNightLibrary, HealingFiction, HikaHarada, HisashiKashiwai, HwangBo-Reum, Iyashikei, Japan, JapaneseFiction, K-Healing, LeeOnhwa, LettersFromTheGinzaShihodoStationeryShop, MaiMochizuki, SouthKorea, SouthKoreanFiction, SyouIshida, TheCuriousKittenAtTheChibinekoKitchen, TheKamogawaFoodDetective, TheLanternOfLostMemories, TheRainfallMarket, TheVanishingCherryBlossomBookshop, We’llPrescribeYouACat, WelcomeToTheHyunam-DongBookshop, YutaTakahashi

• Wine & Words: A Magical Pairing

  The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell The glasses are clinking, there is laughter rising in one corner and someone is shouting a joke across the table. Plates are being passed around and the food keeps coming. Chaos has ensued, surrounding a table of friends. All from different walks of life, but they come together…

  sbarillari

  June 22, 2026

  Book Reviews, Inside Stories, Recipes, Recommendations, Wine & Words

  AlexandraBell, Cava, ElderflowerCordial, EveShaw, JhonnySalasBrochero, MaxEverly, Prosecco, RussellLibrary, SpritzAndReading, Suze, SwissAlps, TheWhiteOctopusHotel, TimeSlipSpritz, WhiteOctopusHotel

• Back-to-Back: Tournament of Books Recap 2026

  Middletown readers can’t get enough of Kristin Hannah. When the bracket for this year’s tournament was unveiled in late February, the librarians at Russell Library were puzzled about which ones to pick in their brackets. “I have NO idea which one is going to win,” said one of my coworkers. “I could honestly see at…

  Jack B.

  April 13, 2026

  Book Reviews, Contests, Libraries, Middletown, CT, Recommendations

  Bracket, EverythingIsTuberculosis, MarchMadness, RussellLibraryGames, TheWomenByKristinHannah, TournamentOfBooks

• Why Vote for Russell Library?

  Update: check out the July issue of Connecticut Magazine for the winner of the 2026 Best Cultural Attraction for Families category. Thanks to our fabulous patrons, Russell Library has been nominated for CT Insider’s 2026 competition for Best Cultural Attraction for Families. If you look at the listing of other nominees, you might notice that…

  Amy S.

  April 6, 2026

  Contests, Events, Graphic Novels / Manga, Inside Stories, Kids and Teens, Libraries, Library Services, Recommendations

  ActivityRoom, BuildingBlocks, BuildingTable, Chicks, Concert, ConnecticutMagazine, CTInsider, DinosaurBones, IndoorPlayroom, LEGOs, MegaChess, PettingZoo, PingPong, SarahLouRichards, ScienceSaturday, TheSpace, ToniesAndYotos, TrainTable, WallMaze, YogaForLittles

• Reading the Movies

  Have you ever read a book that you just loved, but then you watched the movie version and it’s just so different that you’re disappointed, sad, or even angry? As a librarian who also loves movies, I’ve had that happen many times. So what’s to be done? With few exceptions, movies and even series (formerly…

  Amy S.

  March 23, 2026

  Book Reviews, Contests, Graphic Novels / Manga, Kids and Teens, Lost In Translation, Movies, Recommendations, Trending

  AlfredHitchcock, AllisonPearson, AnneRice, Beloved, Buffy/Spike, BuffyTheVampireSlayer, DaphneDuMaurier, EJDickson, Hamlet, Hamnet, IDontKnowHowSheDoesIt, IfIHadLegsIdKickYou, InterviewWithAVampire, KPopDemonHunters, MaryBronstein, MeeshTheBadDemon, MinJinLee, Miyazaki, MyNeighborTotoro, NoveList, OneBadMother, OneBattleAfterAnother, Oscars, Pachinko, PhilipaGregory, Read-alike, Rebecca, RoseByrne, RyanCoogler, SarahJessicaParker, Shakespeare, Sinners, SpiritedAway, StudioGhibli, TheWhiteQueen, ThomasPynchon, ToniMorrison, VampiresOfElNorte, Vineland, WolfHall