#10. LA Public Library. Anyone who read Susan Orlean’s “The Library Book” (and most Angelenos) know the LA Public Library is one of our nation’s greatest treasures. This year the library kept me tethered to the world and my city, gave me opportunities to immerse myself in other lives and places, offered access to an extraordinary cookbook collection, and connected me with the literary world which, although initially shaken by the pandemic, quickly ramped up to meet the new needs of readers cut off from our favorite diversions and pleasures. Here are some standout books from this year: 1. Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson 2. Dominicana, Angie Cruz 3. The Education of an Idealist, Samantha Power 4. A Burning, Megha Majumdar 5. Severance, Ling Ma 6. Begin Again, Eddie Glaude, Jr. 7. The End of October, Lawrence Wright 8. Burn the Place, Iliana Regan 9. The Lying Life of Adults, Elsa Ferrante 10. Department of Speculation, Jenny Offill 11. The Memory Police, Yoko Ozawa 12. Mahonia, Maria Dahvana Heasley 13. Start From the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi 14. Mississippi Vegan, Timothy Pakron 15. Falastin: A Cookbook, Sami Tamimi Have a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2021! (at Los Angeles Public Library) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJeVNQ5gi4ZCAuZ8ZGGWWch84jOtXtWJxIp9ZQ0/?igshid=za0b9thpt1ov