Read, Listen, Watch

Staff Picks and Suggestions

Recommended Reading from Staff at Snell

Nothing is better than kicking back with a good read over the summer, so some of our staff at Snell Library have compiled a list of summer reading recommendations that are sure to fit a wide range of tastes. Enjoy and happy reading!

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

“Extraordinary miniatures, very original, take your breath away at first reading (and the second, third…)”

Recommended by Will Wakeling, Dean of University Libraries

Find it at Snell Library

     

Southern Reach Trilogy, by Jeff Vandermeer

“These are nicely written in a creepy, weird fiction style, so they have overtones of science fiction and Southern Gothic. The unfolding mystery plot is fascinating so far, with very good, evocative writing.”

Recommended by Amanda Rust, Assistant Head of Research and Instruction

Find it at Snell Library: Annihilation & Authority    

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

“Clever author Atkinson proposes alternative lives (and deaths) for a child born during a snowstorm in 1910.”

Recommended by Julie Jersyk, Research and Instruction Librarian Find it at Snell Library    

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce

“Retiree Harold Fry embarks on a cross-country journey on foot to hand-deliver a letter to a dying acquaintance… ‘Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and that this was the dilemma of being human.’”

Recommended by Ernesto Valencia, Systems Librarian

   

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

“A magical and inspiring story about navigating through life’s challenges, following your heart, and accomplishing your dreams.”

Recommended by Nina Shah, Library Development Officer

Find it at Snell Library

 
 

A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night, both by Deborah Harkness

“The first book is wonderful—so much fun—a mystery set in academia with witches and vampires and other creatures of the night! The story is fast-paced and well-executed and ends far too quickly. The second book is at least as good as the first!  Great books for the beach or a long flight to some place fun!”

Recommended by Janet Morrow, Head, Resource and Discovery Services

 

Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

“This fascinating book is composed of long segments in the voices of six individual characters from different time periods, in totally different writing styles. Mitchell truly inhabits the main characters in each of the six segments, making them sound and feel authentic, and very different from one another. There are plenty of little overlaps and connections among the stories, too, which make for another level of enjoyment as you try to find those along the way.”

Recommended by Rebecca Bailey, Research and Instruction Librarian

Find it at Snell Library

What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell

“Journalist Malcolm Gladwell has pieced together a collection of essays about human psychology and social behavior, many of them about sort of weird or unexpected phenomena.”

Recommended by Karen Merguerian, User Engagement and Assessment Librarian

Find it at Snell Library

   

Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development, by Mel King

“Published in 1981, Chain of Change traces the story of the Black Community of Boston from the 1950s to the 1970s through the eyes of one of the South End’s most vocal residents, former Massachusetts State Representative Mel King. It also proposes a strategy for the future (the 1980s): a Community Development Plan that included decentralization, education, and coalition building.”

Recommended by Giordana Mecagni, Head of Archives and Special Collections

 Find it at Snell Library and other NU locations  

Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics

Heredity charts I-VI: published for the Eugenics Society by George Philip & Son Ltd.

Image courtesy the Wellcome Library

Codebreakers:  Makers of Modern Genetics is a newly-launched treasure trove for fans of science, history, and of course, the history of science! The Wellcome Library has digitized the papers of key players in genetics from the last century and made them freely available online. Works of Crick, Watson, Franklin, Wilkins, and Haldane are all represented, to name a few. The papers include lab notebooks, sketches, articles, drafts and general correspondence. The site also contains items from the archive of the Eugenics Society, including the heredity chart shown above. In addition to these digitized artifacts, the site features digitized books and a great interactive timeline on the history of genetics.

All Shakespeare, All the Time!

Watch the entire BBC Shakespeare Collection in the comfort of your own home, dorm, or subway seat! We’re very excited to now own the entire BBC Shakespeare collection available online, through streaming video. These productions include some of Britain’s most distinguished performers, and productions range from quite traditional to more adventurous: View the plays in their entirety, or link to specific Acts for teaching and presentation.  You can also turn Closed Captioning on or off with a single click — an excellent way to see the specifics of Shakespeare’s language unfold before your eyes. We also have the entire collection on DVD, so tell us what you think.

New Resource for Students and Practitioners in Counseling, School Psychology, Psychiatric Nursing, and More!

Counseling and Therapy in Video Volume 1  from Alexander Street Press (current NU only) is now available. This valuable resource includes over 400 hours of training videos, reenactments, and real-life therapy sessions. Counseling and Therapy in Video Volume 1 is a great tool for counselors-in-training, as it allows one to observe, in face-to-face sessions, subtleties of body language, facial expressions, behavior, speech patterns and intonation. Some of the perks: every video includes a synchronized transcript. Users can create, edit, and share playlists or clips. Videos are searchable by keywords and subjects, and arranged by easy-to-browse topical subject areas and therapeutic methods. For example, you could search for Gestalt, Solution Focused, or Family Therapy sessions. You could search for clips where a client diagnosed with depression uses the word drink.  Or you could compare and contrast how cognitive-behavioral therapists and client-centered therapists treat a similar condition. You can browse all titles or search by subject or therapy type. This resource is listed on the A-Z Index (under the FIND menu) and on my psychology subject guide. The subject guide includes my contact information– I am interested to hear your comments and questions about this new acquisition.

Suggested Summer Reading from Snell Staff (Part 2)

With just weeks remaining in the summer, you’re going to have to jump into your summer reading if you haven’t yet gotten started! We collected a first round of staff picks in part one to give you some summer reading suggestions, but if nothing looked interesting to you, or you’re still waiting for the right book… here are some more options. Let us know in the comments, below, what you’re enjoying this summer, and if you’ve read any of these, what you thought of them.  

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire hunter

By Seth Grahame-Smith

Suggested by Ernesto Valencia Abe Lincoln Killing Vampires and abolishing slavery! What’s not to like!?        

Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel

(Apparently a big hit among Snell staff!) Highly recommended by Karen Merguerian, Ernesto Valencia, and Ethan Bren        

Little, Big

By John Crowley

Suggested by Tom Urell I read this early this summer, and can’t get it out of my head. Like an arabesque or a mandala, the more you look into it, the further it goes. Ostensibly an epic family saga, Little, Big seems modest at first, but then grows into a rich universe of its own.      

A Song of Ice and Fire Series (Part 1: A Game of Thrones)

By George R.R Martin

Suggested by Ernesto Valencia Because court intrigue and epic fantasies are fun!        

The White Darkness

by Geraldine McCaughrean

Suggested by Hillary Corbett It’s a real page-turner! I picked it up because I love anything about Antarctica – and although I was a little skeptical of the far-fetched plot at first, I found it to be gripping, masterfully written, and totally believable. It’s classified as a young adult novel, although I think it could easily be shelved in adult literature.    

Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan after the Taliban

by Sarah Chayes

Suggested by Karen Merguerian            

 An Object of Beauty

by Steve Martin

Suggested by Jen Anderle This is a humorous yet elegantly written novel about the fine art world of Manhattan and the people that live in it. Steve Martin’s main character starts as an equal in complexity and allure to the pieces she works among and tragically wastes away like a passing fad. Yet another example of Steve Martin’s talent!  
So there you go. And if you still aren’t interested in one of our suggestions, the library has hundreds of thousands of print books in the stacks and almost as many e-books online.  One of them is bound to be your perfect end-of-summer read.
What’s your summer pick?