Blog
Richland Library Main

Get Ready to Vote

  • Richland Library
  • Saturday, October 08

Know when your local elections are happening, what's on the ballot, and make sure you register before the October 9th deadline!

The Only Good Indians
Night of the Mannequins
Staff Picks

Stephen Graham Jones: Must Read Horror 🔪🩸⚰️

  • Chantal W.
  • Friday, October 07
Bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones will be the 2022 #BroaderBookshelf featured author.  Although Jones writes in other genres, he is best known for his horror writing.  His stories can be gory but always features brave, ordinary people that you can't help pulling for and Jones definitely delivers great character development for main and side characters alike. 
South to America
Ardennes 1944
Staff Picks

2022 Charleston Literary Festival Authors

  • Bland L.
  • Wednesday, October 05
This year’s Charleston Literary Festival, taking place November 4-13, will feature a spectacular array of fiction and nonfiction writers.  The fiction roster includes literary-fiction heavyweight Ian McEwan, as well as best-selling authors Geraldine Brooks and Nic Hornby.  Among those representing nonfiction are African American studies scholar Eddie S.
Blog
Richland Library St. Andrews

I'm With The Banned: Boy Erased

  • Lindsey T.
  • Friday, October 07

Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family by Garrard Conley is challenged in Texas. Learn more about this title here and why it might be banned. 

Harlem Sunset
An Unlasting Home
Staff Picks

Fictional Period Pieces

  • Chantal W.
  • Sunday, October 02
If you love historical fiction (or a blend of history with fantasy, mystery and romance) then check out 2022's best period pieces.  Use one of these titles to complete a prompt for the 2022 #BroaderBookshelf Challenge while you're at it.  Happy Reading!
Ninth House
Bunny
Staff Picks

Dark Academia, Magic, and Secret Societies

  • Kristin A.
  • Monday, September 19
Looking for some atmospheric and dark reads to set you in the mood for fall? These books about dark academia, magic, and secret societies will have you reading late into the night. So pull out your favorite tweed jacket and cozy up in your reading chair with one of these unputdownable atmospheric reads.
All This Could Be Different
When We Were Sisters
Staff Picks

2022 National Book Award Longlists

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, September 16
The 2022 National Book Award longlists have just been announced.  The finalists will be named on 4 October.  In the meantime, check out these contenders in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people's literature, and translated literature.
Blog
Richland Library Sandhills

Compassion Fatigue: When Work Wears You Down

  • Emily Barber
  • Wednesday, September 14

Helping professionals – like nurses, teachers, or social workers – can get worn down by the nature of their jobs. Workplaces need structures to help employees care for themselves on their own terms.

Nickel and Dimed
Bait and Switch
Staff Picks

Remembering Barbara Ehrenreich

  • Bland L.
  • Tuesday, September 06
Barbara Ehrenreich, who for more than fifty years dissected American culture in a series of perceptive books (many of them best sellers), died on 1 Sept.
Blog
Richland Library Main

The Personal Librarian - A Review

  • Ashley S.
  • Wednesday, September 28

“Changing your name is easy. Changing your soul is impossible.” - Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray

Blog
Richland Library St. Andrews

I'm With the Banned: The Magic Fish

  • Lindsey T.
  • Thursday, September 01

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen is challenged in both Florida and Texas. Learn more about this title here and why it might be banned. 

Post York
Windows on the World
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Graphic Novels set in NY

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, August 31
Check out one of these graphic novels and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge prompt "read a fiction or nonfiction book set in California or New York".  This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
Stage Dreams
California Dreamin'
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Graphic Novels set in CA

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, August 31
Check out one of these graphic novels and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge prompt "read a fiction or nonfiction book set in California or New York".  This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
The Murder of Emmett Till
Nelson Mandela
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Graphic Novels with Character Names (Non-Fiction)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, August 31
Check out one of these graphic novels and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge prompt "read a book with a characters name in the title".  This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
I Am Alfonso Jones
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Graphic Novels with Character Names (Fiction)

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, August 31
Check out one of these graphic novels and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge prompt "read a book with a characters name in the title".  This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Witch Please
Staff Picks

Books to Add to Your Witch List

  • Morgan R.
  • Tuesday, August 30
Witchy vibes? Check. Sweater weather? Check. Mug of something hot to drink? Check. If hexes, curses, and cackling laughs are your thing, try one of these reads that is sure to cast a spell on you.
Lilla the Accidental Witch
Moonstruck. Vol. 01
Staff Picks

Queer Magic

  • Alex B.
  • Monday, August 22
Being yourself is about as magical as it gets! Check out these titles for LGBTQ+ fantasy novels and graphic novels. 
The Personal Librarian
Carolina Built
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022: Read a Historical Fiction Novel

  • Chantal W.
  • Saturday, August 20
Participating in our 2022 #BroaderBookshelf Challenge?  Check out this list to find a book to complete the Read a Historical Fiction Novel prompt.  And if you don't find what you are looking for here try these lists too: 
Sisters in Arms
Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022: WWII Historical Fiction

  • Chantal W.
  • Saturday, August 20
One of the 2022 #BroaderBookshelf Challenge prompts is to read a Historical Fiction novel.  If the World War II era is one that makes you nostalgic then you might want to try one of these choices as the book to fulfill this prompt.  You will find mystery, literary fiction and spy thrillers among the choices. Happy Reading!
Mycroft Holmes
Dead Dead Girls
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022: Historical Mysteries

  • Chantal W.
  • Friday, August 19
One of the prompts for our 2022 #BroaderBookshelf Challenge is to read a historical fiction novel.  If you love yourself some suspense then combine your history and mystery with these titles.
The Codebreaker's Secret
Harlem Sunset
Staff Picks

Murder and Mayhem Fiction

  • Chantal W.
  • Thursday, August 18
Check out these fiction titles from this year to get your Murder and Mayhem fix.  Some of these may even help you meet a prompt on the 2022 #BroaderBookshelf challenge.
You're Not Listening
Listen!
Staff Picks

Are You Listening?: Self Improvement Books on Communication

  • Chantal W.
  • Tuesday, August 16
One of the 2022 #BroaderBookshelf Challenge prompts this year is to read a self improvement book.  Are you looking to be a better communicator?  Then these books about mindful listening, communication and how to have hard conversations with family, friends, coworkers and community members might be for you and you get to check off a #BroaderBookshelf prompt at the same time.
Blog
Richland Library Main

Right Plant Right Place

  • Megan M.
  • Wednesday, August 31

Want a low maintenance, easy care garden? Make sure you follow these three steps when choosing plants: 

Right Plant, Right Place  

Plant natives 

Remove invasives

Under Her Skin
Breathless in Love
Staff Picks

BookTok Talk: Colleen Hoover

  • Morgan R.
  • Tuesday, August 09
Colleen Hoover is all the rage right now (and the holds lists prove it!), so while you are waiting for your copy to arrive, try one of these read-alikes.    For more recommendations check out some of these great lists, or get your personalized reading recommendation.
The Pioneers
1776
Staff Picks

American Biographer

  • Bland L.
  • Tuesday, August 09
Author David G. McCullough, who died on 7 August, has left a rich legacy of biographies and histories that met with both critical and public acclaim.  The recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and two National Book Awards, among many other literary prizes, McCullough published a series of best-selling books from 1968 to 2019, all still fresh and relevant for their insight and erudition.  Check out these landmark works from our collection.
In Search of a Prince
Jewel of the Nile
Staff Picks

Inspirational Romance

  • Mahogany S.
  • Friday, August 05
Enjoy some romance authors who are powerhouses in the Inspirational section and others who have written romances that are sure to make you dream of the one!
Dancing at the Pity Party
Be Gay, Do Comics!
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Graphic Novel Memoirs by Non-Celebrities

  • Mahogany S.
  • Thursday, August 04
Check out one of these graphic novels and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge prompt "read a memoir by someone who is not a celebrity".  This list is part of the #BroaderBookshelf 2022 Reading Challenge. Find more lists here.
Gods of Want
Black Sci-fi Short Stories
Staff Picks

Love to Read, Short on Time

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, August 03
Do you love to read but also have to work, eat, sleep, take the kids to school, make dinner, remember to call the vet and the plumber, mow the lawn, get your oil changed and just...don't have time? Try one of these short story collections! 
Run. Book One
Eternals. Vol. 01, Only Death is Eternal
Staff Picks

2022 Eisner Award Winners

  • Thomas M.
  • Tuesday, August 02
Check out the winners of the 2022 Eisner Awards, announced at San Diego Comic-Con. You can see a full list of categories, nominees, and winners here. Keep in mind that Eisner categories span across various creative roles, formats, and target age ranges. Digital copies of this year's Eisner Award winners can also be found on Hoopla.
Blog
Richland Library Main

Recycling Your Yard Waste

  • Megan M.
  • Tuesday, August 02

The next step in creating a healthy landscape is to Recycle your yard waste. Recycling your yard waste keeps waste out of landfills. As a bonus, you’ll get free mulch and soil amendments.

Post-traumatic
Brown Girls
Staff Picks

Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize Longlist

  • Bland L.
  • Monday, August 01
The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize was created in 2006 to honor the best debut fiction of the year.  The longlist for this year's prize has just been announced.  Check out these exciting new first novels from our collection.
Bunny
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Staff Picks

Who Can You Trust?: Unreliable Narrators

  • Kristin A.
  • Wednesday, July 27
Books with unreliable narrators are the most intriguing stories to be read. The narrator may be unintentionally misleading or deliberately deceptive, which creates tension and engagement that drives the plot and intensifies the twists. They may not always tell the truth, but they make some of the most gripping storytellers. Here are just a few stories with narrators you may not be able to trust, but you should definitely still check out. 
Blog
Richland Library North Main

#OwnVoices: Sorrowland - A Review

  • Mahogany S.
  • Wednesday, July 27

"Going against tended to end more rightly, more justly, than going with. People were wrong. Rules, most of the time, favored not what was right, but what was convenient or preferable to those in charge."

Assignment Russia
The Brink
Staff Picks

The Cold War

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, July 22
The Cold War was famously never a declared “war” but an ideological struggle that unfolded in a decades-long series of proxy conflicts.  Researchers are still uncovering new information from archives and other sources to better explain this strange period, which one historian has referred to as the “Fifty-Year Wound.”  Check out these recent titles from our collection if you’re curious to learn more.
Blog
Richland Library Main

Healthy Soil, Happy Plants

  • Megan M.
  • Tuesday, July 19

Are you interested in creating a healthy, watershed friendly yard? Your first step is to maintain healthy soil.

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Licorice Pizza
Staff Picks

Sandhills Staff Picks: Summer 2022 Edition

  • Morgan R.
  • Monday, July 18
Not sure what to read, watch or listen to? We can help! The staff at Sandhills love to give recommendations! Here are some of our favorites to talk about. Check out our Personalized Recommendation service here.
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities
The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature
Staff Picks

LGBTQIA Readers' Guide

  • Zita R.
  • Monday, July 18
We have a growing collection of non-fiction titles about The LQBTQ+ experience, history, politics, health, literature, and art. Here are a few that you can check out as a physical book to carry to the coffee shop, and maybe even read! 
Blog
Richland Library Main

Columbia's Farmers Markets

  • Margaret D.
  • Friday, July 15

Tomatoes, okra, squash, cucumbers, and watermelon. These are my favorite summer vegetables and they always taste best when I buy them at a local farmers market.

Blog
Richland Library Main

5 Things Every Renter Should Know

  • Lee P.
  • Friday, July 08

Richland Library is working towards helping our community access housing options that meet their needs. In this post, we'll cover five things every renter should know before committing to housing.

The Friend
Dog on It
Staff Picks

Dog Days of Summer

  • Kristin A.
  • Sunday, July 03
The Dog Days of Summer describes the most oppressive period of summer, between July 3rd and August 11th each year, around the time the constellation Sirius appears to rise alongside the sun. Beat the heat by staying indoors with one of these doggone good reads. Enjoyed by yourself, or curled up with your furry best friend. 
Blog
Richland Library Main

Take No Names: A Book Review

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, July 06

Daniel Nieh's follow-up to Beijing Payback is the perfect crime thriller for your summer vacation or staycation. 

How to Read a Book
Get Good with Money
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Non-Celebrity Self-Discovery

  • Ariel H.
  • Wednesday, June 29
The #BroaderBookshelf challenge helps expand your reading habits to discover authors, genres and books you might not otherwise pick up. More #BroaderBookshelf booklists can be found here. Get personalized recommendations 
Below the Edge of Darkness
Bitch
Staff Picks

Nature is Neat!

  • Morgan R.
  • Wednesday, June 22
According to the super reliable and oh-so-scholarly Urban Dictionary, neature is "a combination of the words neat and nature. Best used to describe how neat nature is." I think this is a very fitting term for our wild and wonderful world and all the creatures that live in and on it. If you are a nature lover (and think it's pretty neat, too) or love being outdoors, or maybe just learning about Earth's many environments and ecosystems these titles are right up your alley.   
Kaiju No. 8. Volume 1
Godzilla in Hell.
Staff Picks

Reading About Kaiju In June For #Kaijune

  • Thomas M.
  • Wednesday, June 22
Kaijune is a month-long online event for artists. The name comes from a word for large monsters, "kaiju," and the month of June. Every month is a good one to read about kaiju. The list below includes plenty of graphic novels (and a couple of prose books) full of kaiju.
Who Killed Jane Stanford?
The Ghosts of Eden Park
Staff Picks

Historic True Crime

  • Bland L.
  • Tuesday, June 21
Many true crime books are roughly contemporary in setting.  But there’s a whole subgenre of nonfiction crime narrative drawn from historical cases, many of them scandalous in their day and some of them still unsolved.  A recent standout in this subgenre is Who Killed Jane Stanford? by respected historian Richard White, which explores the poisoning murder of the widow of Stanford University founder Leland
The Ravenmaster
My Dog Tulip
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Non-Celebrity Memoirs with Animals

  • Sara M.
  • Tuesday, June 21
The #BroaderBookshelf challenge helps expand your reading habits to discover authors, genres and books you might not otherwise pick up. Check out one of these memoirs by somebody who isn't a celebrity - but who does have something to do with animals!  Hawks, sheep, pigs, dogs (so many dogs) - even the occasional royal raven.
The Memory Librarian
Black Sci-fi Short Stories
Staff Picks

Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism

  • Adele C.
  • Friday, June 17
Early late at night I wander off into a land You can go, but you mustn't tell a soul There's a world inside Where dreamers meet each other Once you go it's hard to come back Let me paint your canvas as you dance  
Hook, Line, and Sinker
Reunion Beach
Staff Picks

Beach Reads

  • Kristin A.
  • Saturday, June 11
Looking for the perfect book to take with you on summer vacation, or to take you away from it all when you're on a staycation? Whether you’re relaxing next to the ocean or in a lounge chair on your back porch, your summer reading will be more enjoyable with one of these books in your hand and another in your beach bag.
Blog
Richland Library Main

View from the Jefferson Hotel

  • Margaret D.
  • Friday, June 24

For over 50 years, the Jefferson Hotel stood elegantly on the corner of Main and Laurel Streets in downtown Columbia.

My Brother's Husband, Vol. 01
How to Be Ace
Staff Picks

LGBTQ+ Graphic Novels and Manga

  • Alex B.
  • Wednesday, June 08
Graphic novels and manga aren't exclusively for children and they aren't just for straight people either! Here's some excellent titles depicting the diversity in the LGBTQ+ community. 
An Immense World
Bird
Staff Picks

New in Science

  • Bland L.
  • Monday, June 06
Atlantic staff writer Ed Yong is a rising star in the science-writing world.  He received a Pulitzer in 2021 for his reporting on the pandemic, and his first book, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, was a best seller.  Now his second book,
Level Up
The Good Retirement Guide 2022
Staff Picks

New Business Books

  • Bland L.
  • Friday, June 03
Noteworthy new titles include Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back, by Georgia politician (and serial entrepreneur) Stacey Abrams and her business partner, Lara Hodgson; Dade Hayes and Dawn Chmielewski’s Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dol
Never Simple
Beatrix Potter
Staff Picks

New in Biography and Memoir

  • Bland L.
  • Wednesday, June 01
Liz Scheier’s Never Simple, about her difficult upbringing as the child of a mother with Borderline Personality Disorder, has been getting a lot of notice, as has Mary Laura Philpott’s Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, a set of
Blog
Richland Library Sandhills

Why is Juneteenth Celebrated?

  • Brittany S.
  • Saturday, July 02

Join us as we reflect on Juneteenth with stories that honor the past, illuminate black culture, and commemorate living unapologetically free.

Blog
Richland Library Ballentine

Can YOU Identify Poison Ivy? (Part 2)

  • Melissa Sprenne
  • Wednesday, May 25

This is Part 2 of this series. Are you confident that you can identify poison ivy when you see it? Play along with this guessing game to learn about several native plants - and which ones are poison ivy!

Heartstopper. Vol. 01
Manhunt
Staff Picks

Read with Pride

  • Amber J.
  • Wednesday, May 25
Celebrate your PRIDE with these fresh and fun LBGT+ titles for teens and adults. Don't forget to check out these movies coming to theaters next month: "No Ordinary Man"(July 16) tells the story of transgender jazz musician Billy Tipton from directors Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt and "Nope"(July 22), Jordan Peele's latest horror starring LGBT+ actors Keke Palmer and Barbie Ferrerira.
The Tunnel to Summer
Final Fantasy XV
Staff Picks

Light Novels in the Library (2022 Update)

  • Thomas M.
  • Wednesday, May 25
It has been over a year since the library's light novel collection became its own official category. The light novel list from 2021 still has many gateways. A new wave of titles is here, with plenty of adaptations, side stories, and reincarnations into a new life.
Her Stories
African Folklore in the New World
Staff Picks

A Tale to Tell Thru Time: BIPOC Oral Literature

  • Kenyanah B.
  • Wednesday, May 18
Most people's first experience with oral literature or folk literature was most likely a lullaby, nursery rhyme or an urban legend. Oral literature is handed down orally through the word of mouth from one generation to another and serves to communicate ideas,  knowledge, cultural practices, emotions, beliefs, and the appreciation of life. Oral literature much like oral tradition is preserved by speaking, listening, and remembering.  The following booklist highlights African, African American, and indigenous people oral literature.  
Malibu Rising
Dead Dead Girls
Staff Picks

#BroaderBookshelf 2022: Fiction Set in CA or NY

  • Morgan R.
  • Thursday, May 12
The #BroaderBookshelf challenge helps expand your reading habits to discover authors, genres and books you might not otherwise pick up. Read one of these fiction titles to fulfill the "Read a fiction or non-fiction book set in California or New York" prompt. Click on the title to see all available formats.
Sour
Sunday Love
Staff Picks

If you loved Olivia Rodrigo's Sour Album 🍬

  • Brittany S.
  • Tuesday, May 10
#ItsBrutalOutHere !!! Which is why we're all obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo's debut Album Sour. Here are some iconic artists that have similar sounds!