Shelly Ruocco
For me, libraries are safe and welcoming islands of calm, gathering spots for community members and a limitless collection of knowledge, information and resources. You are likely to find me at Forbes weekly, searching in a Library for great books and videos, attending educational programming or wandering through the gallery. I look forward to learning more about how as a Trustee I can support Forbes and its patrons.
Some books I have read recently and loved:
- Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. This was in a stack of books in the library recommended by a staff member.
- The Elephant’s Journey by José Saramago
- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Palm Beach, Finland by Antti Tuomainen. He also wrote The Man Who Died, another fun read.
- The Shadow District or any Icelandic noir book by By Arnaldur Indridason as well as those by Ragnar Jonasson (his book The Darkness is haunting).
- Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Rebekah Anderson
I love libraries, and so appreciate their importance in creating healthy, welcoming communities for all. I have been an active library user throughout my life, and spent my 40-year career working as a librarian. I feel blessed to serve as a Trustee of Forbes Library, and to give back to the community that welcomed me warmly not so very long ago.
Books I have especially enjoyed in recent years:
- North Woods by Daniel Mason
- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
- Dancing With Life by Philip Moffitt
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Katy Wight
Some of the people who had the most impact on shaping who I am were librarians (including my grandmother). They gave me access to a universe of books, encouraged my curiosity, and gave me the freedom to choose the direction I wanted to explore. I want everyone to have that opportunity. Forbes Library is a safe place where anyone can freely access information, learn, explore, and escape. I am proud to support this amazing institution and the people who make it what it is.
These are 5 books I keep recommending to people:
- The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
- Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
- The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
- Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? : Big Questions From Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty
- Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Debin Bruce
Books have always been important to me. I mostly find my way to non-fiction, but I am in a neighborhood book club that reads a wide assortment of books. I so appreciate the extensive services and programming at Forbes, but it’s the books that keep me coming back week after week.
Books I liked:
- The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
- These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
- Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future by Margaret Heffernan
- On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
- Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: the Search for Planetary Intelligence by James Biddle
- The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David George Haskell
- Lost and Found: A Memoir by Kathryn Schulz
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Russell Carrier
Forbes is important to me because it is a free and safe space for all who need it. Especially, in these difficult times we must do all we can to make sure that the dream that inspired Judge Forbes endures.
Five books I’d recommend:
- Lincoln On The Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer
- The Splendid And The Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
- Robert E. Lee: A Life by Allen Guelzo
- The Most Famous Man In America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate
- Calhoun: American Heretic by Robert Elder