Books + Ideas
Existential philosophy with Jell-O: A recipe for readers
We asked the staff at the MIT Press Bookstore for some recent book recommendations. Head over to 314 Main St. in Kendall Square to continue the conversation. Read more Grabbing a Bite with Imam Firmin, Jr. “The Penguin Book of Existential Philosophy,” edited by Jonathan Webber. Penguin Classics, 2026. Focusing on the work of Sartre, […]
‘Day Care Stories,’ ‘East of Eden’ and more
Cambridge Day asked Porter Square Books to send us their current staff picks. These are recommendations curated by their staff. Read more Surf and turf dogs and scampi calzones at Alice & Monarch “Day Care: Stories,” by Nora LangeTwo Dollar Radio, 2026 There’s euphoria in the way Lange wildly navigates her terrain, forging the path […]
The CPL’s top 10 June reads
Here are this month’s 10 most checked out books at all Cambridge Public Library locations. Thanks to Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz, Senior Librarian, for providing us with the list. Read more Moulton on affordability, research support and AI regulation
Rediscovering America’s Orwell
“Atrocities of the Mind: Essays on Violence and Politics in the American Century,” by Dwight Macdonald, selected and introduced by John Summers. University of Chicago Press, 2026. Read more Events in Cambridge and Somerville: Cambridge Dance Party, Fourth of July, Pico Opera Dwight Macdonald was hailed as one of the greatest essayists of the 20th century […]
Harvard Book Store to open Boston location this fall
Harvard Book Store announced Monday that it will open a second location in Boston this fall at 33 Union Street, near Haymarket and Faneuil Hall. Read more Local officials join De-ICE Citizens campaign In a letter to customers published on the store’s website, the management team highlighted the location’s historic appeal: the shop will occupy […]
‘Birds Up Close,’ and other picks for what to read
We asked the staff at the MIT Press Bookstore for some recent book recommendations. Head over to 314 Main St., Kendall Square, to continue the conversation. Read more Ahern Field shows why community engagement matters “Birds Up Close: An Engineer Explores Their Hidden Wonders,” by Lorna Gibson. MIT Press, 2026. How do birds fly? Why […]
The CPL’s top 10 May reads
Here are this month’s 10 most checked out books at all Cambridge Public Library locations. Thanks to Susannah Borysthen-Tkacz, Senior Librarian, for providing us with the list. Read more Public comment shouldn’t be cut short
Regional politics will make climate change impact worse for Cambridge, Boston
As Cambridge and nearby communities brace for extreme heat and flooding, researcher and journalist Courtney Humphries argues that the region’s patchwork political landscape is a major obstacle to climate action. Her new book, “Climate Change and the Future of Boston” (Anthem Press), looks at the city’s 400-year-old history of development, and how that shapes the […]
Yiyun Li on life ‘in the abyss,’ writing and the importance of ‘Moby Dick’
Novelist Yiyun Li read from her new memoir at a packed Cambridge Public Library last week, speaking about the suicides of her two sons and how she turned to art and writing in her grief. Read more CPS names new school leaders and administrators In “Things in Nature Merely Grow,” which won the Pulitzer Prize […]