{"id":6958,"date":"2013-07-24T16:42:07","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T20:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/?p=6958"},"modified":"2013-08-02T08:18:37","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T12:18:37","slug":"staff-reading-picks-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/staff-reading-picks-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Reading Picks 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Staff Reading Picks 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Selections of books recommended by staff members of the FAU Libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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An American Tragedy
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Theodore Dreiser. The Heritage Press, 1954
\nCall Number: PS3507 .R55 A45<\/a>
\nRecommended by Gary Gabeloff, Access Services
\n\u201cA great novel that was made into a movie (A Place in the Sun<\/a><\/em>) with Elizabeth Taylor in 1951.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bell Jar
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Sylvia Plath. Harper Perennial, 2005
\nCall Number: PS3566 .L27 B4 2005<\/a>
\nRecommended by Leah, Jupiter Library<\/p>\n

Bleak House
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Charles Dickens. Oxford University Press, 1991
\nCall Number: PR4556 .A1 1991<\/a>
\nRecommended by William Miller, Dean of Libraries<\/p>\n

The Book of Daniel
\n<\/em><\/strong>By E. L. Doctorow. Random House, 1971
\nCall Number: PS3554 .O3 B6<\/a>
\nRecommended by Gary Gablehoff, Access Services
\n\u201cI read this many years ago and enjoyed it. It\u2019s a book of fiction based on the case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, alleged Communist spies and traitors. Interesting writing style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cold Mountain: 100 Poems
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Han-Shan. Columbia University Press, 1970
\nCall Number: PL2677 .G3 A27 1970<\/a>
\nRecommended by Ken Frankel, Reference<\/p>\n

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Jared Diamond. Viking, 2005
\nCall Number: HN13 .D5 2005<\/a>
\nRecommended by hdl
\n\u201cWe took a tour of the Mayan site Tikal with a brilliant archaeologist, Roxy Ortiz. She cited Diamond’s chapter on the Maya in this book and when we got home I read it on the strength of her recommendation. It’s such a timely and fascinating discussion of the interplay of environment, politics, culture, economics and trade in the success or failure of traditional (and modern) societies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Ian Thomson. Faber and Faber, 2009
\nCall Number: F1887 .T46 2009<\/a>
\nRecommended by a library staff member<\/p>\n

Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Jeremy Scahill. Nation Books, 2013
\nCall Number: E897 .S33 2013
\n<\/a>Recommended\u00a0 by Bill Armstrong, Access Services<\/p>\n

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em>By Sam Kean. Little, Brown and Co., 2010
\nCall Number: QD466 .K37 2010
\n<\/a>Recommended by Lauri Rebar, Reference<\/p>\n

Disco for the Departed
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Colin Cotterill. Soho Press, 2006
\nCall Number:\u00a0PR6053 .O778 D57 2006<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jeannette Smithee, SEFLIN
\n\u201cThis is the first of the Dr. Siri Paiboun novels that I read, and since then I have read four others, beginning with the first in the series: The Coroner’s Lunch. Would you expect stories about the national coroner in 1970s Laos, following the takeover by the communist Pathet Lao, to include social consciousness, humor, mystery, and ghosts? I did not expect this, but have been delighted to follow Dr. Siri Paiboun and his colleagues through this series.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Jean-Dominique Bauby. Vintage Books, 1998
\nCall Number: RC388.5 .B39513 1998<\/a> (At Jupiter)
\nRecommended by Bonnie DiGiallonardo, Reference<\/p>\n

The Drowned and the Saved
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Primo Levi. Summit Books, 1988
\nCall Number: D804.3 .L4813 1988<\/a>
\nRecommended by Anonymous<\/p>\n

Feed<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By M T. Anderson. Candlewick Press, 2002
\nCall Number: PZ7 .A54395 Fe 2002 (Children\u2019s Literature)
\nRecommended by Lauri Rebar, Reference
\n\u201cFeed<\/em> is set in the future and teenaged Titus is the narrator. The moon has recently become the 51st state in the United States (U.S.), and \u201cfeeds\u201d have been implanted in the brains of virtually everyone. Although the feeds were promoted to reduce the necessity of actual teaching and learning, the corporations have taken over the schools and society, and feeds\u2019 are used almost exclusively for nonstop entertainment and advertising. Custom advertising to each individual has been perfected, and feeds are nonstop, suggesting items and describing things if they are even thought of or seen. The feeds become so essential after they are implanted that they also control body movements, memories and more. When Titus and friends go to the moon for spring break, he is mesmerized by a girl, Violet, who he sees. They get together, dance in a nightclub and end up with their feeds being hacked, leading to a shutdown of their systems. Their resulting relationship, their relationship to their friends and family, and a society that reflects a gross \u2018dumbing down\u2019 of U.S. citizens (adults included) is discussed. Titus and Violet explore the possibility of feeds being evil instead of good, and their story becomes one of discovery, caring, and maturing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foundation Trilogy<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By Isaac Asimov. Avon, 1964-1966
\nCall Number: PS3551 .S5 F69 1964<\/a>
\nRecommended by Dawn M. Smith, Public Services
\n\u201cI was 14 and this was my first venture into the world of science fiction and the science fiction genre.\u00a0 I became an avid reader of this genre after reading this series.\u00a0 Recommended to me, the trilogy\u2019s premise of saving the knowledge of the human race after the demise of the Galactic Empires caught my interest immediately. Chosen to write the Encyclopedia, a select people unknowingly carried out a plan to re-create the Galactic Empire and save the galaxy from barbarism.\u00a0 It has some similarity to the Star<\/em> Wars<\/em> series.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Gate at the Stairs<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By Lorrie Moore. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009
\nCall Number: PS3563 .O6225 G37 2009<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jane Strudwick, Electronic Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Brian Selznick. Scholastic Press, 2007
\nCall Number:\u00a0PZ7 .S4654 Inv 2007<\/a>\u00a0(Children\u2019s Literature)
\nRecommended by Maris Hayashi, Collection Development
\n\u201cA wonderfully-illustrated story of George M\u00e9li\u00e8s, a French filmmaker who made\u00a0A Trip to the Moon<\/em>\u00a0(which featured \u201ccutting-edge\u201d special effects, e.g. spaceship landing in the eye of the moon) in 1902. The book\u2019s other main characters are Hugo, a 12-year-old orphan who lives in a train station and works on clocks, and his friend Isabelle. The movie\u00a0Hugo<\/a><\/em>, directed by Martin Scorsese (2011), was based on Selznick\u2019s book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let the Great World Spin<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By Colum McCann. Random House, 2009
\nCall Number: PR6063 .C335 L47 2009<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jane Strudwick, Electronic Resources<\/p>\n

Homer & Langley<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By E. L. Doctorow. Random House, 2009
\nCall Number: PS3554 .O3 H66 2009<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jane Strudwick, Electronic Resources<\/p>\n

Lord of the Flies<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By William Golding. Coward-McCann, 1962
\nCall Number: PR6013 .O35 L6 1962<\/a>
\nRecommended by Leah, Jupiter Library<\/p>\n

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By Marshall B. Rosenberg. PuddleDancer Press, 2005
\nCall Number: BF637 .C45 R645 2005<\/a>
\nRecommended by Alyse Ergood, Reference<\/p>\n

A Painted House<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By John Grisham. Doubleday, 2001
\nCall Number: PS3557 .R5355 P3 2001b<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jeannette Smithee, SEFLIN
\n\u201cI was attracted to A Painted House for two reasons. 1) It is not one of John Grisham’s formulaic legal stories. 2) It is set in small town Arkansas during the depression. The Arkansas connection is due to having relatives that lived in that area of the state. The book is a family drama that includes great background on the geographical, economic, and social environments that shaped the lives of the characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood<\/em>
\n<\/strong>By Mark Harris. Penguin Press, 2008
\nCall Number: PN1993.5 .U6 H37 2008<\/a>
\nRecommended by Jane Strudwick, Electronic Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Rain Makes Applesauce
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Julian Scheer & Marvin Bileck. Holiday House, 1964
\nCall Number: PZ7 .S3424 Rai (Children\u2019s Literature)
\nRecommended by Jerrel Horn, Access Services
\n\u201cThe illustrations in this book are amazing and I loved reading the nonsense with my daughter. We loved looking at the pictures and reciting to each other about how ‘elbows grow on a tickle tree’ and that ‘the stars are made of lemon juice’ or that ‘I wear my shoes inside out’, all while Rain Makes Applesauce!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sense<\/em><\/strong> and<\/strong> Sensibility<\/strong> <\/em>(Also Pride<\/em><\/strong> and<\/strong> Prejudice<\/strong><\/em> and Emma<\/em><\/strong>)<\/em>
\nBy Jane Austen. Barnes and Noble, 1997
\nCall Number: PR4032 .A6 1997<\/a>
\nRecommended by Amy Kornblau, Assistant Dean, Systems
\n\u201cThree Jane Austen favorites!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Swiss Family Robinson
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Johann David Wyss. Puffin, 1986
\nCall Number: PZ7 .W996 Swi 1986<\/a> (Children\u2019s Literature)
\nRecommended by William Miller, Dean of Libraries<\/p>\n

Tao Te Ching
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Lao Tsu. Vintage Books, 1972
\nCall Number: BL1900 .L3 F46 1972b
\n<\/a>Recommended by Ken Frankel, Reference<\/p>\n

Twenty Days with Julian & Little Bunny by Papa
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Nathaniel Hawthorne. <\/em>New York Review Books, 2003
\nCall Number: PS1881 .A3 2003
\n<\/a>Recommended by Jerrel Horn, Access Services
\n\u201cA wonderful account of 20 days that Nathaniel Hawthorne spent with his 5-year-old son Julian while his wife and daughters were visiting relatives. Hawthorne’s observations of his son are funny and accurate enough to make anyone wince ruefully who has spent time with a five-year-old child. Equally funny is reading about Hawthorne’s trials as a temporary single parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Walden\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Civil Disobedience: Complete Texts with Introduction, Historical Contexts, Critical Essays
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Henry David Thoreau. Houghton Mifflin, 2000
\nCall Number:\u00a0PS3048 .A1 2000
\n<\/a>Recommended by Ken Frankel, Reference<\/p>\n

Who Needs Donuts?
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Mark Alan Stamaty. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003
\nCall Number: PZ7 .S7837 Wh 2003<\/a> (Children\u2019s Literature)
\nRecommended by Jerrel Horn, Access Services
\n\u201cWho needs donuts when you’ve got love? Well, I loved the whimsical story and the illustrations are even better. Each page is packed with all sorts of wonderful things, from donuts hiding in an umbrella to horse-birds smoking pipes to a newspaper vendor with pockets for sugar, flour and marbles. Each page has new surprises. My greatest fun was reading the book with my daughter and finding all sorts of wonderful bits with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth As the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World
\n<\/em><\/strong>By Robert Thurman. Atria Books, 2008
\nCall Number: BQ7935 .B777 T48 2008
\n<\/a>Recommended by Alyse Ergood, Reference<\/p>\n

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/strong>By Jared Diamond. Viking, 2012
\nCall Number: DU744.35 .D32 D53 2012<\/a>
\nRecommended by hdl, Technical Services
\n\u201cI enjoyed Diamond’s earlier book, Collapse<\/em>, so when I heard a review of his new one on NPR, I was motivated to read it. If anything, it’s even more interesting, because he uses many personal examples from his early-career experiences as an ornithologist in remote areas of New Guinea to illustrate various aspects of traditional societies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Staff Reading Picks 2013 Selections of books recommended by staff members of the FAU Libraries. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 An American Tragedy By Theodore Dreiser. The Heritage Press, 1954 Call Number: PS3507 .R55 A45 Recommended by Gary Gabeloff, Access Services \u201cA great novel that was made into a movie (A Place in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[972],"class_list":["post-6958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books-in-the-library","tag-staff-reading-picks"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6958"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7015,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6958\/revisions\/7015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libweb.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}