Princeton Garden Theatre will present a screening of Spike Jonze’s creative film, Where the Wild Things Are, based on the beloved book by Maurice Sendak. The in-person showing will take place on Sunday, January 14 at 10 a.m. The film is approximately 1 hour and 41 minutes and is suited to children and adults of all ages. more
Princeton Garden Theatre will showcase a compilation of eight short films from the 2023 New York International Children’s Film Festival on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12 at 11 a.m.
This year’s selection of nominees really allows the imagination to roam wild. Whether dreaming up the fantastical, like a cat the size of a house, or the practical, like exploring the wonders of space with a family member, this event is sure to surprise and delight. more
On October 15 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Washington Crossing State Park will host a presentation on Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War with Friederike Baer. The book examines the experiences of the estimated 30,000 German soldiers (collectively known as Hessians) that participated in the war on the British side. more
The new book from Mira Nakashima, daughter of George Nakashima, one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Nakashima furniture-making process and how he became a household name. more
The Friends and Foundation of Princeton Public Library have announced that Beyond Words, their annual benefit, will be held on Saturday, October 21. This year will feature Curtis Chin, author of the upcoming memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. more
On Thursday, September 21 at 7 p.m. Labyrinth Books and the Princeton Public Library will play host to Yiyun Li and Lynn Steger regarding Li’s new story collection Wednesday’s Child. Her previous work, The Book of Goose, earned her much acclaim. Li will discuss her writing and her writing career with Steger, who is herself the author of the novels Hold Still, Want, and Flight. Her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. more
On August 15 from 6 to 8 p.m., visit the Princeton Shopping Center for a Summer Reading Wrap-Up Party hosted by the Princeton Public Library.
The fun will begin at 6 p.m. with face painters, a scavenger hunt, and games on the lawn. Stop by a table hosted by Taim Mediterranean Kitchen and spin the wheel for some free samples of their award-winning falafel, hummus, za’atar pita, and tahini sauce. more
Join Princeton Public Library on Sunday, June 11 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a special Book Brunch Event with author Cassandra Jackson. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. and coffee and pastries will be served.
Jackson’s recently released memoir The Wreck: A Daughter’s Memoir of Becoming a Mother is an introspective look at the tendency for history to repeat itself and the challenge of turning inherited grief into a fresh start. Jackson also reveals the chilling parallels between the harrowing inhumanity of Jim Crow medical care and the underlying discrimination that still colors American health care today. During the course of retracing her family history, Jackson is left with a powerful sense of love and optimism that hope can transcend family trauma and be washed away for future generations. more
Amtrak recently announced that they are the official rail transportation partner for the Broadway show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, now playing at the Lyric Theatre in New York City. As part of the collaboration with the show and Audience Rewards, the official rewards program for Broadway, Amtrak Guest Rewards members, Broadway enthusiasts, and Wizarding World fans can earn and redeem Amtrak Guest Rewards points on tickets to the show. It’s free for Amtrak Guest Rewards members to register with Audience Rewards. more
On May 26 at 2 p.m., join Labyrinth Books for a special discussion on the art and craft of fiction writing. Princeton University alumnae novelists will read from their work and speak with each other about inspiration, craft, and process. They will discuss the journey to publication, the themes that haunt their writing, completing their sophomore novels, and the lessons they took from writing at Princeton. This will be an open discussion with audience Q&A. more
Join the Friends and Foundation of the Princeton Public Library on April 28 from 12 to 2 p.m. for the annual Book Lover’s Luncheon, featuring author, historian, and journalist Lynne Olson. This year’s event will be held at the Nassau Inn.
Olson is the New York Times best-selling author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War, Last Hope Island, Those Angry Days, and Citizens of London. She has been a consulting historian for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. more
On Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m., the State Theatre New Jersey welcomes humorist David Sedaris.
Beloved for his personal essays and short stories, Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Calypso, which was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. more
On Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Labyrinth Books and Princeton Public Library welcome author Aleksandar Hemon for a discussion of his novel, The World and All That It Holds. The in-person event will be held at Princeton Public Library, but there is also the option to participate remotely through a streaming link. more
In advance of the presentation of Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights at McCarter Theatre, theater and literary lovers are invited to participate in a community reading of Emily Brontë’s magnum opus on Saturday, February 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will be held in the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room. more
Author Dan Gutman will lead a virtual talk about his recent Albert Einstein biography for kids at the Princeton Public Library on Saturday, March 11 from 1:30 to 2 p.m. In the second of the “Wait! What?” series, siblings Paige and Turner compete to dig up the weirdest, wackiest, and funniest facts about the world-famous scientist, from his childhood and school days, through his time studying relativity and working on the atomic bomb. In addition, Gutman will answer questions and even give away prizes to a few lucky participants. more
Princeton Public Library (PPL) is accepting applications from authors interested in participating in an Author Fair as part of the library’s 12th Local Author Day, to be held on Saturday, April 29. The Author Fair takes place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the library’s Community Room and first floor area. more
Join New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) for Philip Roth Unbound, a weekend-long festival that will celebrate, challenge, and explore the life, legacy, and work of novelist and Newark native Philip Roth, on what would have been his 90th birthday weekend. more
On Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m., join historian Maxine Lurie at Morven Museum & Garden for an evening exploring her new book, Taking Sides in Revolutionary New Jersey: Caught in the Crossfire. The talk will include a book signing with Lurie and her book will be available for purchase on site. more
Princeton Public Library will host Sensory Storytime, a program for children ages 2 and up and is especially welcoming to those who are differently abled, on the autism spectrum, have sensory processing issues or feel overwhelmed by noises and crowds. Children are encouraged to bring a favorite toy or fidget. Registration is required at https://bit.ly/3VGQl1b. more
On Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m., Labyrinth Books, in partnership with the Princeton Public Library, welcomes MUTTS cartoonist and award-winning author Patrick McDonnell as he discusses his new book, Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet. This event will be held at Labyrinth Books and is free to attend.
In this tale, a world-renowned religious leader and an American cartoonist join forces to create a whimsically illustrated volume with deceptively simple messages about saving the planet. The Dalai Lama supplies text and McDonnell provides the charming visuals as a panda comes to call on the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamsala, India. For the panda, the Dalai Lama recalls “the scent of wildflowers” from his childhood and the many animals he saw while traveling from the village of his birth to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. more
Shop the Friends of the Lawrence Library January Book Sale for thousands of used, gently read books for readers of all ages. The sale opens to the public on Friday, January 27 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and ends on Monday, January 30 at 4:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of the Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike in Lawrenceville. Cash or checks only. more
On Thursday, December 15 at 7 p.m., Princeton Garden Theatre presents a special screening of the holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, and directed by Peter Godfrey. Originally released in 1945, the film tells the story of Elizabeth Lane, a regular Martha Stewart, sharing her picturesque farm life and weekly recipes in newspaper columns read by housewives and homesick veterans throughout the world. The only problem is it’s all a ruse! more
On Tuesday, November 29 at 7 p.m., Princeton Public Library and Labyrinth Books welcome author A.M. Homes to the Library’s Community Room for a discussion of her new novel, The Unfolding. Homes is the former recipient of the Women’s Prize for her book May We Be Forgiven. She is the author of 13 books and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University. Homes will be joined in discussion by Princeton University professor Laura F. Edwards. Edwards is a legal historian whose research focuses on the 19th-century United States. more
On Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m., Labyrinth Live at the Library welcomes Joyce Carol Oates for a discussion of her new book, The Babysitter: A Novel. This event will be held in person at the Princeton Public Library, but will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUlZf13JzTY.
Princeton University Professor Maria DiBattista will direct the conversation with Oates. DiBattista has written extensively on modern literature, popular and pulp fiction, and film. more
Join author Clifford Zink on Saturday, October 8 at 10 a.m. for a walking tour outside Princeton University’s storied and majestic eating clubs. Learn about the architecture, origins, and development of the 16 Classical and Gothic-style clubhouses, which date from 1895 to 1928. There will be an opportunity to visit inside one of the eating clubs; masks will be required during this portion of the tour. Copies of Zink’s 2017 book, The Princeton Eating Clubs, will be available for sale at a discounted price at the tour. more
On Friday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m. join the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown for The Beauty of Dusk: An Evening with Frank Bruni. Tickets are $60 per person.
Bruni has been a prominent journalist form more than three decades, including more than 25 years at The New York Times, the last 10 of them as a nationally renowned op-ed columnist who appeared frequently as a television commentator. He was also a White House correspondent for the Times, its Rome bureau chief, and for five years, its chief restaurant critic. more
On view through September 5, 2022, at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, “The Pigeon Comes to Jersey City!” celebrates the art and characters of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems. This young learner exhibition features best-friend duo Elephant and Piggie, faithful companion Knuffle Bunny, and The Pigeon, the wiley city bird best known for his antics in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! more
On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m., Princeton Public Library and the Historical Society of Princeton welcome bestselling author Jennifer Weiner to the Updike Farmstead at 354 Quaker Road in Princeton. Tickets are $30 and include a copy of The Summer Place, plus sparkling beverages, sorbet, and other sweets. Purchase tickets here: https://bit.ly/3Pj61Vz. This event is presented with support by Labyrinth Books. more
Join Hopewell Theater on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m. for the continuation of their Art of Living Well Series, which focuses on inspiring films, speakers, and interactive discussions that examine our personal relationships with the natural world.
The event will include a showing of Big Wave Guardians, a surf film that takes an honest, behind-the-scenes look at how the lifeguard profession began and what it means today. The lifeguards in this film occupy the world’s most dangerous 7-mile stretch of surf on Hawaii’s North Shore. more
Summer is the perfect time to address that pile of books lingering on your bedside table. These recommended titles from New York Public Library are being made into feature films set to arrive in theaters this summer. Our suggestion — read the literary form before you see it on the big screen. It’s a wonderful way to put your imagination to the test and see how your own interpretation matches up to Hollywood’s. more
