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Year 3: April 2021-March 2022

Birds Art Life by Kyo Maclear
September 27—November 7, 2021
Selected by guest curator Ariel Bissett

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Ariel
  • Podcast with Rosianna, John, and Ariel
  • Reading Guides
  • Crossword puzzle by the Life’s Library Team
  • Bird phone backgrounds by Lukas Phelan

Physical Perks:

Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim
August 16—September 27, 2021
Selected by Rosianna

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Digital flower art by Zoë Polando Ryder
  • Digital embroidery tutorial and video by Yess Harid

Physical Perks:

book, letter, bookplates, and historical bookletWhose Names are Unknown by Sanora Babb
July 5—August 15, 2021
Selected by John

Digital Perks:

Physical Perks:

book, totebag, letter, sticker, and bookplatesThe Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
May 24—July 4, 2021
Selected by Rosianna

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Digital art/sticker sheet by Zoë Polando Ryder

Physical Perks:

book, letter, postcards, and book platesHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
April 12—May 23, 2021
Selected by John

Digital Perks:

Physical Perks:

Year 2: January 2020-April 2021

How to Write and Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee
February 22—April 11, 2021
Selected by Rosianna

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from John and Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Phone and desktop wallpapers

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from John and Rosianna
  • Bookplates
  • Origami kit
  • Pin by Alys Jones

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
January 6—February 21, 2021
Selected by the LL community

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from John and Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Crossword and Winter Games by Zoë Polando Ryder and the LL team

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from John and Rosianna
  • Bookplates by Carson McNamara
  • Coasters designed by Lukas Phelan and printed by Jim Adkins
  • Decal by Trudi-Ann Hemans

Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard
November 26, 2020—January 5, 2021
Selected by John

Digital Perks:

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from John
  • Bookplates by Ash Miyagawa
  • Notebook with writing prompts
  • Quote pen

On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Bliss
October 17—November 25, 2020
Selected by guest curator Celeste Ng

Digital Perks:

Physical Perks:

Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli
September 7—October 17, 2020
Selected by Rosianna

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Illustrated guide by Mia Soza
  • Tiny Orange Tree desktop app by Viv

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Illustrated guide by Mia Soza
  • Orange tree pin by Lukas Phelan
  • Bookplates by Carina Guevara

Space Struck by Paige Lewis
July 29—September 6, 2020
Selected by John

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from John
  • Podcast with John and Rosianna
  • Reading Guides
  • John’s Margin Notes
  • Art by Alys Jones
  • Poetry dice game and animation by Zoë Polando Ryder

Physical Perks:

Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo
June 3—July 28, 2020
Selected by Rosianna

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Guardian profile of Bernardine Evaristo
  • Blonde Roots art by Alys Jones
  • Girl, Woman, Other artwork
  • PIH information sheet

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Magnet by Zoë Polando Ryder
  • Girl, Woman, Other postcard
  • Bookplates by Yun Yao

Journey to the Centre [Interior] of the Earth by Jules Verne
April 22—June 2, 2020
Selected by  Rosianna (public domain pandemic pick)

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Rosianna
  • Podcast with Rosianna and John
  • Reading Guides
  • Ebooks by Allison DeVoe
  • Map animation by Zoë Polando Ryder
  • Life’s Library wallpapers and JTTCOTE poster art by Alys Jones

(Journey to the Centre [Interior] of the Earth did not have Physical Perks)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
March 11—April 21, 2020
Selected by guest curator Hank Green

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from Hank
  • Podcast with Hank and author Martha Wells
  • Discussion Questions and Further Reading
  • Illustrated glossary by Ming Doyle
  • Phone background by Sam Schulz
  • Updates from the DFTBA and PIH teams

Physical Perks:

  • Letter from Hank
  • Illustrated glossary by Ming Doyle
  • Murderbot enamel pin and sticker by Sam Schulz
  • Bookplates by Rachel Logan

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
January 29—March 10, 2020
Selected by John

Digital Perks:

  • Letter from John
  • Podcast with John and Rosianna
  • Reading Guide and Questions
  • Planner reading goals templates by Kellyn Richardson

Physical Perks:

Year 1: December 2018-January 2020

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
November 27, 2019—January 28, 2020
Selected by the LL community

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
October 16—November 26, 2019
Selected by Rosianna

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
September 3—October 15, 2019
Selected by John

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
July 23—September 2, 2019
Selected by Rosianna

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
June 11—July 22, 2019
Selected by John

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
April 30—June 10, 2019
Selected by Rosianna

We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled by Wendy Pearlman
March 19—April 29, 2019
Selected by John

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
February 5—March 18, 2019
Selected by Rosianna

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
December 24—February 4, 2019
Selected by John