The esteemed Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded for 2017 and they should all be required reading. Here is the list:

Fiction: Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: picking up numerous awards besides the Pulitzer, including the National Book Award & the Carnegie Medal. At the top of many best book of the year lists for 2016. Whitehead chronicles two runaway slave's trials as they attempt to allude their captors with allegories that resound into the present day.

General Nonfiction: Evicted by Matthew Desmond: additional honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Carnegie Medal, & PEN award. Desmond followed 8 families in Milwaukee struggling with poverty.

History: Blood in the Water by Heather Ann Thompson: another that picked up numerous accolades and awards for telling the incredible story of the uprisings as well as the aftermath

Bio/Autobiography: The return by Hisham Matar: a deeply moving portrait of the author's continued hope of finding his father alive after his mysterious disappearance in Libya

Poetry: by Tyehimba Jess: Multiple award winning poet and Detroit native, Jess, deserves an even bigger following with this fascinating collection of poetry and narrative

Last year marked the 60th anniversary of My Family and Other Animals by naturalist Gerald Durrell. This book was the first in a trilogy, followed by Birds, Beasts, and Relatives (1969) and Fauna and Family, AKA The Garden of the Gods, (1978). In the books Durrell tells of the period during his childhood where he and his widowed mother and siblings briefly left England and lived on the rustic island of Corfu off Greece between 1935 and 1939. Gerald found himself surrounded by beautiful creatures and pretty soon the house and surrounding areas are encapsulated by his birds and reptiles.

The memoirs are delightful and the family is a fierce and quirky bunch that makes these books a pleasure to read. Gerald grew up to be a naturalist, conservationist and author of many books.

There have been a few adaptations of the books for television. Notably was the 2005 series My Family and Other Animals, which centers on 12 year old Gerald and his animal adventures, namely from book one. The acting is superb, with Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge!) leading the charge as Mrs. Durrell, tyring to rein in her 4 children, while wondering how on earth they turned out the way they did. Larry is a writer, Margo is a teen discovering herself, Larry love his guns, and then there's Gerry and his traveling zoo. There are 3 episodes and I loved it so much I watched them all twice.

Last year came a newer, longer adaptation that involved stories from all three books. This first season of The Durrells in Corfu features 6 episodes, and more emphasis is placed on the mother in this one. As with books and film adaptations, things were changed from the books a bit, but the wonderfulness of Gerald and his family remains. This show was also a pure delight to dive into with the Durrells. Season 2 is in the works.

When Khaled Mohamed Khaled’s parents immigrated to the United States from Palestine in the 1970’s they came with the idea that the American Dream could work for them. And yet, while Khaled and his parents were selling clothes out of their van at New Orleans flea markets, they couldn’t have possibly dreamt of the success that their young son would eventually attain.

With a bevy of certified Gold and Platinum singles, collaborations with some of the most talented and most recognized rappers in the industry, major brand endorsements and an enormous presence on social media, DJ Khaled, as he's now known, has achieved everything his parents could have dreamed for him. But the best part is that DJ Khaled keeps dreaming.

In early 2016 DJ Khaled started posting short videos on social media in which the mogul/producer would lay out his keys to success. Everything from brushing your teeth, to recognizing loyalty within your circle of friends, were keys to success. And now, with the publication of Khaled’s first book, The Keys, those successes can be yours!

Being part autobiography, part self-help book, part business manual, layered with a whole lot of mogul talk make The Keys a must read for, well… anyone. Khaled’s keys to success can be applied across all disciplines and lifestyles. His writing is very accessible, and in some cases there is absolutely no denying his logic. The book is fun to read and has some surprisingly deep insights into social and business relationships.

So, if I were to ask you if you are the best library patron what would you say?

If you said no, then I am disappointed in you.

Because you are the best library patron.

We the best library patrons.

For more on DJ Khaled check out his Wikipedia page, or put a hold on his music or book.

The French chef in America : Julia Child's second act

Alex Prud’homme, Julia Child's grandnephew, was the co-author with Child of My Life in France. In his new book, The French Chef in America: Julia Child’s Second Act, he picks up where that story left off. Prud’homme takes us from the beginning of Julia Child's television career to the last days of her life, and succeeds in delivering many tales that highlight the essence and esprit of Child, strong in her convictions, yet always playful. Prud’homme chronicles Child's many successes but also reveals the books, shows and recipes that weren’t an immediate hit. We journey with her from France to Cambridge, Massachusetts and back again many times, and are given an intimate look at her long, loving marriage to and partnership with Paul Child. Paul was responsible for many of the photographs in her books, including all of the photographs in The French Chef in America. We also learn of Child's longtime partnership with her editor, Judith Jones, of her friendship and collaboration with Simca Beck, of her friends in the business, like Jacques Pepin and James Beard, and many celebrity chefs who got their start under her tutelage, such as Sara Moulton and Emeril Lagasse. Julia Child worked until the end of her life, and in a particularly poignant passage, Prud’homme shares the story of the 93rd birthday party that she planned, but never made it to. Yet there were all her biggest fans, colleagues, friends and family members now gathered together, thanks to her, to celebrate her life.
Julia Child created an enduring legacy and helped pave the way for women in the culinary field. Alex Prud'homme has given us a wonderful glimpse into her enthusiasm and vitality and the many lives she touched. She greatly informed the way we eat and celebrate food today.

The Library of Michigan has announced with 2017 winners of the Michigan Notable Book Award - an honor highlighting books celebrating Michigan people, places, and events.

This year's 20 award winners include Beer Money: A Memoir of Privilege and Loss by Frances Stroh, a recollection of a city, an industry and a dynasty in decline, and finding a way out, Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back by Nathan Bomey, which tells the story of Detroit's financial ruin, backroom intrigue and political rebirth, and Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-era Detroit by Tom Stanton, a thrilling true crime story.

The list features fiction too, such as The Charm Bracelet, Viola Shipman's story of love, family and the importance of connectivity, it covers generations of Michigan history and will resonate with anyone who has enjoyed the beauty of summers in northern Michigan, Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser, about a fearless teen facing the wasteland of addiction amid the isolation of the Upper Peninsula, and The Last Good Girl by Allison Leotta, the thrilling latest entry in her legal suspense series.

There's something for everyone on this list - whether you're interested in travel, classic cars, biology, poetry, or architecture.

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is a beautifully illustrated picture book that is a wonderful introduction for young children to a one-of-a-kind modern artist. There is definite Caldecott Medal buzz around the bold and colorful illustrations by author Javaka Steptoe.

The book focuses on Basquiat’s childhood in Brooklyn, his early passion for drawing and his declaration that he will some day be famous. The message that art doesn’t have to be neat or clean shines through as we follow the artist on his journey to become a cultural phenomenon with a true vision (before his untimely death, which doesn't grace the pages of this book).

Youth author Lois Lowry has been a long-standing beloved household name for a number of her Newberry winning books, not the least of which are The Giver and Number the Stars. The Giver many might know from its 2014 movie rendition including star actors such as Meryl Streep. Lowry has always been one to write stories that not only capture the imagination but challenge her readers to question, and to hang tight to all the goodness they can find. They are insightful and provocative for both the young and old.

Her newly updated and expanded autobiographical work retains this legacy. Looking Back: A Book of Memories reads like an album. The reader flips through glossy page after glossy page of photographs paired with a short, page-long reminiscence. Each glimpse of Lowrian history is also joined with a quote from one of her books, so we can trace her inspiration for characters and passages. Lowry traces the lines where her personhood is inextricably linked to the stories she has crafted.

In a simple style aimed towards the middle grade audience her novels have been written for, Lowry uses these pages to welcome us into her own family. She points out details and gives backstory, shares personal responses and humorous anecdotes, much like one might pass down stories to a grandchild. She conveys not only her own life, but includes photographs of her parents, children, grandchildren, and even some friends, showing the web through which we form our identity.

Looking Back is not entitled a “Book of Memories” for nothing; Lowry gently asks many questions about the nature of memory throughout these pages, a theme readily seen in The Giver as well. When we see a face but cannot remember a name, what does that do to a person’s identity? Does time’s inevitable morphing of names and details mean that our memories become false? How is our memory influenced by the fleeting moments captured by the camera, even when these moments would be seen differently in light of a bigger picture? One thing becomes clear: memory is a gift, and the small moments of our lives make history.

In her new memoir The Princess Diarist pop culture icon Carrie Fisher revisits the wild days of filming the first Star Wars trilogy. Fisher, who, of course, plays Princess Leia in the movies (and is currently reprising her role in the latest trilogy), recently rediscovered her diaries from the time period when she was filming the original trilogy. She writes that she was astonished to see what her writing had preserved: not only the angst of her own early adulthood, but open and honest musings about the era, love poems she’d written while curled up on set, and intimate recollections of what happened behind the scenes of the blockbuster movies.

Beyond revisiting her younger years, Fisher also contemplates larger issues in The Princess Diarist. She writes about the joys and struggles of celebrity, her struggles with addiction, and the absurdity of being born to Hollywood royalty (she’s the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher). Star Wars fans will certainly enjoy the juicy details that Fisher shares about her life on set and her interactions with her costars (hint: she and Harrison Ford did more than “interact”), but even readers who aren’t fans of the movies or who aren’t as familiar with them will enjoy her insightful viewpoints on celebrity and pop culture as a whole.

Fisher is also the author of the memoirs Wishful Drinking and Shockaholic and of four novels, including Postcard From the Edge.

Early 20th century Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko inspires wonder and compassion in her writing. Her poems ask questions close to the heart of a child, and step into the slippers of things as plain as the snow under our shoes. The tale of her short life is clouded by hardship, but her poetry brims with a celebration of being alive.

"Snow on top
must feel chilly,
the cold moonlight piercing it.

Snow on the bottom
must feel burdened
by the hundred who tread on it.

Snow in the middle
must feel lonely
with neither earth nor sky to look at."

For the first time, Kaneko's poetry is being made available in North America by a team of translators and journalists passionate about sharing her legacy with the world. Kaneko's work is highly respected in Japan, being standard material in literature classes, and now English speakers have the opportunity to see what is so special about her in the book Are You An Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko.

Written at a child's level, this book narrates Kaneko's life story while presenting a whole collection of her poems in translation, with the original Japanese verse alongside. Besides providing an encounter with this lovely woman of words specifically, Are You An Echo? subtly teaches children how to understand and appreciate poetry in general. This is personally one of my favorite publications of the year.

Fleetwood Mac fans will be delighted with the brand new book Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. The book, edited by Sean Egan, compiles over 40 years of interviews with the band members and stories of their lives. Many of these interviews come from rock magazines of the band’s heyday, like Creem, NME and Mojo, but some have never been published before. Band members Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Lindsay Buckingham have always been remarkably candid in the interviews that they give, about themselves and the band as a whole, so this compilation offers a truly in depth look into the lives of each one and the role they played in the creation of Fleetwood Mac’s music and persona. There are 40 total pieces in the book, arranged chronologically, and they span 1967 to 2014, although are certainly focused on the 1970s and 1980s. Egan opens each piece with a helpful paragraph setting the scene for the interview, but from then on the stories are completely unedited, even for corrections (although Egan points them out for readers). Fans of the band will love hearing the dramatic ups and downs of the quintet in their own words, and even casual listeners or fans of just Stevie Nicks will enjoy picking up this book and browsing through.

Not familiar with Fleetwood Mac? Get started with some of their music here!