Need a good book to read before summer’s end? Our library staff makes some suggestions
Summer may not officially end until September 22, but many Saint Leo employees are enjoying the last few days of their “summer vacation.” What should they do with those last few days? How about grabbing a book to read (or listen to via audiobook)?
Saint Leo’s Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library staff is offering some recommendations for those of us who want to read a little as we enjoy the “last-gasp-of-summer.” They are sharing what they’ve been reading during the coronavirus pandemic and some ideas for us to explore. If you don’t get to the books now, you can always save these recommendations for Christmas/holiday break!
Here’s what they have to say:
Q: What has been on your reading list during the pandemic and why? Did you discover a new author or go back and read an old favorite?
- John David Harding, associate professor of writing/research, “When social distancing began, I finished reading a book of poems by U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo (She Had Some Horses). Harjo is not only a poet and Native American rights advocate, she also sings beautifully and plays the saxophone; my favorite Joy Harjo album is Winding Through the Milky Way. Lately I have been slowly enjoying J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, again—both as a way to escape, but also because these novels tell a timely story of the corrupting nature of absolute power and the triumph of good over evil through friendship and perseverance.”
- Delaney I. Rose, digital projects and user experience librarian, “The Woman in Cabin 10 [by Ruth Ware] was at the top of my list. I love mysteries and thrillers, and I’ve been going through the most successful recent ones. I loved the book! I’m fascinated by mysteries that go on in enclosed spaces, like Clue. Other than that, I have mostly been reading non-fiction books about forensics and criminal psychology.
- Michelle Joy, assistant professor, undergraduate online services librarian, read Gretchen Rubin’s Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness during the pandemic. “Trying to help myself retain order and productivity during this time,” she said. “I don’t know why I hadn’t done this before, but I searched for LGBTQIA+ books so I could better help or get insight into other people’s lives. I’m hoping I can be helpful and comforting if students of any sort come to me physically or digitally.” One of the books she found was All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson.
- Angel Luis Jimenez, instructor of writing/research and English, said, “I’ve been reading contemporary Black poets lately. And The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde. These voices speak to me during this national moment of reckoning for racial justice. New-to-me authors that dazzle are Danez Smith, Aja Monet, Toi Derricotte, and Rita Dove.
Q: What books would you recommend to employees (and students)?
- “Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov,” Jiminez said. “It’s a quick and hilarious read.”
- I Owe You One by New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, who is the author of the Shopaholic series, is recommended by Christine Woods, online reference and instructional librarian. “’ A witty and emotionally charged novel that delves into the heart of a marriage, and how those we love and think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most,’ from the publisher,” Woods noted.
- “I have a particular fondness for the book Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and have been recommending it to everyone I can,” Rose said. “It’s a fantasy novel that feels so real it can make an adult feel like magic exists, with just enough darkness and reality rolled in.”
- For people who are looking to read a mystery or thriller but aren’t necessarily deep into the genres, though, Rose recommends: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty; A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson and Rachel Willson-Broyles; An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen; The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins; and The Chain by Adrian McKinty.
- “That is such a hard question; I have read so many good books recently,” said Emilee Leathers, Interlibrary Loan and Circulation Department. “If you loved the ‘Hunger Games’ series, this year Suzanne Collins came out with a prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It follows President Snow and gives a bit of insight into why and how he became who he is.”
Q: Are they any quick-to-read books you would recommend?
- Toni Morrison’s Sula can be read in a couple of days, Harding said, “but if you are a lover of language, you might find yourself slowing down to savor Morrison’s sentences. Also, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Art Spiegelman’s Maus are two graphic memoirs that might not take you very long to read, until you begin to slow down because you do not want the story to end.”
- Rose said she recently read I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, “which is a quick, good suspense novel with a twist I legitimately didn’t see coming.”
- Megan Nowell, staff coordinator for the Cannon Memorial Library, said she likes The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty. “It is sort of comedy/fantasy, and features monstrous coworkers, literally,” she said. “A travel writer takes a job with a shady publishing company in New York, only to find that she must write a guide to the city—for the undead!”
- For quick reads, Leathers recommends Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (coming of age tale), The Grace Year by Kim Liggett (feminism), and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (folklore). “Anything by her is amazing,” Leathers said.
- Author and illustrator Frank Miller and colorist Lynn Varley’s, 300 is an excellent quick read and was interesting to compare to the movie, said Marissa Smith, technical services assistant for the library. This One Summer by author Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Jillian Tamaki “is a coming-of-age graphic novel of a couple of girls whose annual summer vacation brought back some sweet memories from my childhood. Lastly, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet is an intense quick read of an underrated superhero.”
For more information, check out https://slulibrary.saintleo.edu/library_home or email library@saintleo.libanswers.com Now, let’s take a break and get to reading!
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