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The largest library in the world is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., USA, with over 170 million items in its collection, including books, photographs, manuscripts, maps, and recordings.

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📚️ Staff Pick of the Week

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

While training for the New York City Marathon, Haruki Murakami decided to keep a journal of his progress. The result is a memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid recollections and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. Funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, here is a rich and revelatory work that elevates the human need for motion to an art form.

🎥 Reading Talk's

📈 Rising Quickly - Week of February 13, 2023

What’s our problem? by Tim Urban

Tim Urban is a popular blogger who writes about various topics such as AI, colonizing Mars, and procrastination. He then shifted his focus to society and began to question why everything seemed to be in disarray. He delved deep into history, evolutionary psychology, political theory, neuroscience, and modern-day political movements to understand the root cause of the problem. Six years later, he published a book called "What's Our Problem?" which offers a new framework for thinking and discussing complex issues in the world today. The book introduces a vertical axis that examines how we think as individuals and as groups, rather than the traditional left-center-right horizontal political axis. The book is full of original concepts, sticky metaphors, and illustrations that provide readers with a fascinating and enlightening journey.

🪄Most Talked About Fiction - Week of February 13, 2023

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Alex, a struggling author, is given the chance to attend an exclusive writing retreat at the estate of a famous feminist horror writer. The attendees are tasked with completing an entire novel in one month, and the winner will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Despite the strange happenings at the estate, including the alleged haunting of the mansion, Alex is determined to win. However, when one of the writers disappears during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something sinister is happening. The Writing Retreat is a thrilling debut novel exploring the dark side of female relationships and fame.

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📚️ Most Talked About Non-Fiction - Week of February 13, 2023

The Learning Game by Ana Lorena Fabrega

The school system is widely trusted to prepare children for the future, but we rarely question whether it is teaching the right things in the right way. Ana Lorena Fabrega, a former teacher and current edupreneur, challenges traditional schooling in her book, "The Learning Game." She proposes strategies that prioritize guiding children to think for themselves, encouraging them to take risks and pursue their own projects, and helping them to develop a love of learning. This book aims to provide practical tools to design a new approach to learning that moves beyond the "game of school" and better prepares children for the "game of life."

🆕 New and Noteworthy

While Time Remains by Yeonmi Park

Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who found freedom in America, wrote the book "While Time Remains" to draw attention to what she sees as a dangerous trend in the US towards censorship and authoritarianism under the guise of wokeness and social justice. In her eye-opening account, she highlights the hypocrisies and mob tactics of those who claim to care for the poor and working classes but stifle independent thought. With urgency and unique insight, Park warns of the fragility of freedom and the need to preserve it.

👀 In Case You Missed It

✍️ Quote of the Week

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