What book should North Brooklynites read together this year? The Brooklyn Public Library is currently seeking votes to answer that question and has curated a neighborhood-centric list of titles to pick from; you have until Friday (tomorrow) to vote in the “North Brooklyn Reads” poll.
The list of literature to pick from includes works from local authors such as Greenpointers’ Geoff Cobb, whose The Rise and Fall of the Sugar King tells the story of the American sugar industry and the Havemeyer family’s world famous Domino factory. “It is a tale of greed, crime, wealth, power and corruption, but it is also the story of Williamsburg, Brooklyn,” the book’s description reads.
A landmark Grenpoint building makes an appearance on the list with Kate Christensen’s The Astral: A Novel. In the book, poet and Astral (yes, that Astral) resident Harry Quirk attempts to save his failing marriage and win his wife’s heart back amongst a backdrop that is all too familiar for Greenpointers.
Solos by Kitty Burns Florey is set in Williamsburg where a mystery unravels according to the official book description:
Emily Lime and her equally palindromic dog, Otto, live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (zip code 11211), in a warm community of friends and fellow artists. Her life becomes more complicated when she falls in love with Marcus, a dog-walker and fellow Scrabble nut, whose father is Emily’s shady ex-husband who wants the lovable Emily dead. A mystery unravels, a valuable lost cache of paintings is found, and Emily’s life changes in ways she could not have anticipated.
Hipster Death Rattle by Ritchie Narvaez also set in “uber-hip” Williamsburg, is a gruesome murder mystery:
Murder is trending. Hipsters are getting slashed to pieces in the hippest neighborhood in New York: Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While Detectives Petrosino and Hadid hound local gangbangers, slacker reporter Tony Moran and his ex Magaly Fernandez get caught up in a missing person’s case—one that might just get them hacked to death
The Bushwick, Leonard, Williamsburg and Greenpoint (upon opening this spring) libraries will participate with readings of the chosen literature:
- Bushwick Library: 340 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11206
- Greenpoint Library (opening early 2020): 107 Norman Ave. at Leonard St., Brooklyn, NY 11222
- Leonard Library: 81 Devoe St. at Leonard St., Brooklyn, NY 11211
- Williamsburgh Library: 240 Division Ave. at Marcy Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211