Leisure Reading at University Park

Celebrate International Education Week with Leisure Reading

2011-11-01T15:57:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Swedish writer Stieg Larsson and his "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" series, Swedish novels have boomed in popularity recently. The Leisure Reading collection has the latest in Swedish fiction, including the comic love story Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti, as well as hard-boiled detective novels by popular Swedish crime writers Mankell Henning and Kjell Eriksson. Did you know there is an award for the best Nordic crime novel of the year given by members of Crime Writers of Scandinavia? In the Leisure Reading collection you can find many books by winners of this prestigious prize, The Glass Key Award, including Jussi Adler-Olsen of Denmark, Jo Nesbø of Norway, and Karin Alvtegen of Sweden, as well as Stieg Larsson, whose books won the prize twice after the author’s death in 2004.

These titles by international authors and many more are featured in a special display in the Leisure Reading Room in honor of International Education Week, November 14-18, 2011. The display, titled "Read Around the World," highlights English translations of popular books by authors from around the globe. If bone-chilling tales of Nordic murders are not your cup of tea, try one of Haruki Murakami’s imaginative and mysterious novels that have made him a pop-culture icon in his native Japan. Or get an inside view of what it’s like to be an artist in Iran today in Censoring an Iranian Love Story by one of Iran’s most acclaimed and controversial writers, Shahriar Mandanipour. If you’re in the mood for non-fiction, pick up Across Many Mountains: a Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom, a true story of three generations of Tibetan women by Swiss-born actress Yangzom Brauen. Or enjoy some armchair travel with Polish writer Andrzej Stasiuk as he explores the darker corners of central and eastern Europe in On the Road to Babadag: Travels in the Other Europe.

Find many more titles from around the world on our reading list. Celebrate International Education Week with an international author from the Leisure Reading Collection!

Graphic Novelist Presentation Tonight!

2011-05-23T09:44:00.003-04:00

Graphic Novelist Drew Weing will give a presentation at the Paterno Library at 7 p.m. tonight! Winner of the first Lynd Ward Prize for Graphic Novel of the Year, Weing will talk about how he created Set to Sea. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please check out the Pennsylvania Center For the Book's page.

3 Days Left...

2011-05-11T09:36:00.004-04:00

...to visit the Leisure Reading Collection in person and stock up on titles for your summer reading pile!

Due to construction of the Tombros McWhirter Knowledge Commons, set to open this Fall, the Leisure Reading Collection will be closed to public access beginning May 16. During the closure, you will still be able to request books through the I Want It service in The CAT and LionSearch, but you won't be able to walk in and browse. So come on down and take advantage of this last chance to skim the shelves on your own before Fall 2011.

We appreciate your understanding in advance and look forward to continuing to add great titles to this collection, even while the room is off limits. If you have any questions at all, or would like to request any additions to the collection, please drop us a line!

Celebrating Earth Day

2011-04-22T08:20:00.002-04:00

These days, everyone is talking about green. Homeowners and business owners and everyone in between seem to be discussing ways to lessen our impact on the environment and to save the money that we currently spend on natural resources, such as gasoline. It's no surprise, then, that lots of authors are taking up the pen on this issue, sharing information about our global impact, and providing tools for lessening our footprint. In celebration of Earth Day 2011, the leisure reading collection features a display of many such titles. And if you're too busy with finals to check it out right now, consider coming back later to grab one of these great books. Happy Spring!

photo credit: flickr: EraPhernalia Vintage

Celebrate March with Irish Literature

2011-03-01T14:21:00.003-05:00

The Emerald Isle has a long history of storytelling in both words and music. Before television and radio, storytellers wandered the island on foot, stopping at homes along the way and exchanging stories for a meal and a bed for the night. Experience the magic of Irish storytelling this month with the Irish Literature display in Leisure Reading. You'll find novels and short stories by great contemporary Irish writers like Maeve Binchy, Roddy Doyle, Frank Delaney, and William Trevor, as well as non-fiction titles about Irish history and culture. Stop by the Leisure Reading Room and pick out a book, and transport yourself to a Celtic castle, a fishing village overlooking the ocean, or a cozy Irish pub with music playing in the background. Celebrate March the Irish way!

Happy New Year!

2011-02-03T07:50:00.002-05:00

Chinese New Year, that is. To celebrate, the Leisure Reading Collection is featuring several books that highlight Chinese culture. Whether you'd like to brush up on your history, try out book written in the Chinese language, or simply kick back and relax with a novel set in a faraway place, this special book display has something for you! Stop in today before the books make like a rabbit and hop away!

What did Penn Staters read in 2010?

2011-01-14T16:06:00.010-05:00

In the world of reading, December and January are always full of lists touting the best books of the year. From booksellers to bloggers, everyone has a take on which books made the biggest splash of the year. As I perused these lists that called out everything from The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson to Sh*t My Dad Says, the book by Justin Halpern that was a spinoff from the Twitter feed that inspired a hit TV show, I found myself wondering what books stood out for the readers at Penn State.

Turns out, Penn Staters have some pretty eclectic and varied tastes. Our list includes several non-fiction titles, sprinkled with a few blockbuster novels. The list reflects strong interests in business and innovation, as well as books that have been adapted into popular films. Malcolm Gladwell and Stephenie Meyer are authors who obviously had an impact on us in 2010. Finally, the list in no way resembles the Amazon bestseller list, nor that at Barnes and Noble. It is a list that is uniquely our own. Knowing this, I can't wait to see what trends emerge in 2011!

Without further ado, here is the top ten list of checkouts from the Leisure Reading Collection at University Park. Thank you for keeping things interesting, and keep up the great reading!

Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell
Host: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions, by Dan Ariely
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Taleb
Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer

by Anne Behler

If You Liked Harry Potter....

2010-11-23T15:05:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I? Already looking forward to Part II, the last in the series, to be released in July 2011? If you are, you’ve probably read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies. So what to do while you wait, besides wonder how much longer Daniel Radcliffe, who is now 21, can get away with playing a teenager?

Fortunately, the Harry Potter craze has spawned a slew of great fantasy literature that fills the post-Potter void and provides an alternative to readers who are over vampires. These stories of heroic boys and girls (mostly boys, but strong female characters are never lacking) can be enjoyed by readers of any age who love the classic elements of fantasy: magical creatures, adventures that span time and space, nasty villains in disguise, brave but flawed heroes, and the triumph of good over evil.

Fantasy literature, as you know if you read as much of it as I do, falls into two camps: stories like the Harry Potter books that take place in our “real” ordinary world, where magic exists under the surface and is discoverable only by those with special power or knowledge; and stories that are set in a mythical “other” world where magic is a part of everyday life, such as Ursula LeGuin’s classic Earthsea Trilogy, or the Pridain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander.

The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer (who looks remarkably like one of his own elfin characters) is set in “real world” Ireland, a land with a long tradition of magical creatures. The fairy people of Ireland, driven out of (or rather beneath) their homeland by the human “mud people” and their destructive ways, now live deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they have developed technology so advanced it can make a human’s head spin, quite literally. Artemis Fowl, Irish boy genius, has no magical ability of his own, but discovers the fairy people’s deepest secrets through sheer human brain power.

Artemis’s adventures with flying fairies, tunneling dwarves, dim-witted giants, and vicious goblins take him under, over and around the world, back in time, and even into his own psyche. He starts out as a criminal mastermind bent on his own gain, but develops a fondness for the Lower Elements People (known as the LEP), particularly a certain diminutive fairy police officer named Holly Short. Get a glimpse of the series and characters at www.artemisfowl.com. And remember, never make fun of Artemis’s girly name in front of Butler, his enormous human bodyguard whose stare alone is enough to pin you to the floor.

If you’re more drawn to the “alternative universe” genre of fantasy fiction, the Septiumus Heap series by Angie Sage takes you to The Small Wet Country Across the Sea, where wizards live in magic towers, rats run messenger services, and witches brew up trouble deep in the Forbidden Forest. Like his counterpart Harry, Septimus is an unlikely hero from humble beginnings who doesn’t even know he has magic powers until the age of ten. With the help of a princess, a wolf boy, and a grandmotherly white witch with a fondness for cabbage sandwiches, Septimus finds his powers, befriends (rather than slays) a fire-breathing dragon, and conquers evil.

No young wizard’s life is complete without an arch-nemesis. While Harry battles the dark forces of Lord Voldemort, a villain whose nastiness puts Darth Vader to shame, Septimus takes on one evil enemy after another: a necromancer who refuses to die, the ghost of the heartless Queen Etheldredda, a mysterious Darke Shadow that never goes away, and even Septimus’s own big brother Simon, whose thirst for power leads him down the wrong path. Start with Magyk, the first book in the series, to find out how Septimus and his mentor, the Extraordinary Wizard Marsha Overstrand, battle these dark forces with powerful magic and good humor.

If these series aren’t enough, try the Secrets of Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott, featuring teen-age twins with incredible powers and a 600-year old French alchemist, or the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, where the ancient Greek gods and goddesses, and the monsters who hate them, come to life. Find these books and more in the Leisure Reading Collection, and in the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library on the fifth floor of Paterno.

by Dawn Amsberry

Community Read of "Shanghai Girls"

2010-11-01T12:47:00.005-04:00

In celebration of International Education Week (November 15-19), the University Office of Global Programs (UOGP) and Penn State University Libraries are co-sponsoring a community read of Lisa See's latest novel, Shanghai Girls, which will culminate in an opportunity to engage in a live conversation with the author.

Penn State students, faculty, and staff, as well as the wider State College community are encouraged to collectively read Shanghai Girls, the story of sisters Pearl and May, who leave Shanghai, China and venture to Los Angeles as arranged brides in the 1930s.

Those who have read Shanghai Girls (or any of See’s other novels) are invited to participate in a conversation with Lisa See live via teleconference at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17, in Foster Auditorium (room 102 Paterno Library). Copies of Shanghai Girls and Lisa See's other novels are available in the Leisure Reading collection on the first floor of Pattee Library near the central entrance.

If you are interested in attending the teleconference, you may register for the event at: http://www.tinyurl.com/LisaSeeConvo

For more about this and other IEW events, visit the Global Programs website.

New Leisure Reading Room Open

2010-09-14T16:08:00.005-04:00

The new Leisure Reading Room, located in the Pattee Library Lobby across from the Nittany Lion Display, is now open! Stop by to meet a friend, relax, or read a good book. You’ll find lots of comfortable seating, tables and chairs for studying, and laptop ports in a beautiful wood-paneled room with windows looking out on the Mall and the Pattee Library courtyard. Best of all, you’ll find our collection of popular fiction and non-fiction titles, including the latest best-sellers.

If you’re looking for a good novel, try Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner, the story of a New York senator’s wife whose well-ordered life starts to fall apart when she discovers, along with the rest of the country, that her husband is having an affair. Historical fiction buffs will enjoy The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner, a portrayal of the wife of Henry VIII filled with vivid details of Renaissance France. Fans of vampire mysteries can check out Dead in the Family, the latest installment in Charlaine Harris’s Stookie Stackhouse series exploring family politics among the undead. For non-fiction lovers, we’ve got The Tiger: a True Story of Vengeance and Survival, John Vaillant’s true tale of a man-eating tiger on a rampage in Siberia. You’ll also find cookbooks, self-help, biographies, poetry, humor and much more. Stop by and enjoy!

10 Things Related to Chinese Literature

2010-02-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

Being asked to write something about Chinese literature, and being nothing but an amateur in the field and, by some odd coincidence, a native speaker of Chinese, I have decided to put together a list of 10 things related to Chinese Literature. It would be wrong to call them facts, because it is in the nature of studies in humanities to question established facts, scholars in the field rarely agree on anything and thus there is hardly any universal “truth” about anything. But since this blog is all about leisure reading, it is probably OK not to be too academically-correct. Just make sure not to quote anything directly from this list for a real paper. Here we go:

1. The Chinese writing system is composed of ideograms that have been around since roughly 2000 B.C. What this means is that, whereas a contemporary English reader will have a very hard time understanding Beowulf in its original, a contemporary Chinese reader will have a better chance at understanding an ancient text. Ideograms preserve meanings much more effectively than phonograms (such as Latin alphabets) because it has remained more or less the same even as the language changes phonetically. You may ask, on what are these earliest Chinese characters written? Bones.

2. This does not mean, however, that native speakers can read an ancient text without training, and this is due to a huge change in the language in the 20^th century. In what is commonly referred to as the New Culture Movement (mid 1910s – 1920s), a group of Chinese scholars began a coup against the traditional styles of writing, Wenyan or Classical Chinese, and advocated for Baihua or Vernacular Chinese. What they were fighting for is essentially a written Chinese that could be understood by non-elites. Were they successful? Absolutely, hardly anyone writes in the Wenyan style nowadays. A native Chinese speaker would need special training to understand a Wenyan piece of writing.

3. In this sense, Chinese is still a rather new language. During the first decades of the 20^th century, writers and scholars explored the possibility of reforming Chinese by looking at other literary traditions. Many foreign classics got translated into Chinese, and in the process of translating, foreign syntactical elements were introduced into Chinese. The modern day Baihua style of writing, thus, is not purely derived from the vernacular.

4. To make things even more complicated, the Chinese vernacular is anything but a unified language. A huge variety of dialects exist in the language. Mandarin, the standard spoken Chinese, literally means the “official language”, is derived from the northern dialect, and has only become standardized since the 17^th century. The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai by Bangqing Han (translated by Ailing Zhang, author of Lust, Caution) is originally written in the Wu dialect, AND is in our library collection.

5. Traditionally speaking, poetry is considered high literature among other genres. Chinese poetry in the Classical style (618-907 AD) from the Tang Dynasty is usually the most celebrated form of verse and has very strict rules on rhythm and tones. Free verse, or what we call New Poetry, enters the scene in the 20^th century and is very much related to the New Culture Movement.

6. Speaking of genre, one major difference that I find between modern day English and Chinese literature is the status of essays. These short pieces of non-fiction writing are found everywhere, most commonly seen in newspaper and journals. Themes range from sociopolitical and cultural critiques to portraits of personal lives. Popular essayists can achieve the same status as eminent novelists, and they often publish volumes of collected essays.

7. The question of humor in Chinese literature has come up a few times: Is there any humorous piece of literature that is considered canonical? Well, not all Chinese follow Confucius’s teachings, and there are certainly many funny scenes and puns here and there in classic novels such as Journey to the West. Personally, I also find Mo Yan’s The Republic of Wine, a contemporary novel, quite humorous.

8. The genre I grew up with is the Martial Arts/Historical fiction. It is a kind of literature that…let me put it this way: if you attempt all the moves as described in the story, you might become a frequent visitor to the hospital, and if sit in an exam on Chinese history and base your knowledge on these novels, you will probably fail. That said, this type of novels is usually hugely fascinating with everything you could want from a Hollywood movie: romance, action, plot, suspense, humor, etc. Jin Yong is my favorite author for the genre.

9. The trendy thing since the 90s on is to make popular novels into TV dramas, which is slightly different from English popular literature being made into movie adaptations. Jin Yong’s novels have been made into many versions of TV drama series. Another great hit of popular fiction turned into TV drama series was Qiong Yao’s three series of Princess Pearl. Speaking of which…

10. The Leisure Reading Collection is expanding its collection and in the process of adding Chinese titles to the shelves. The first ones to arrive are Qiong Yao’s and Giddens Ko’s popular fictions. So keep an eye on the new arrivals!

It's Mysterious!

2010-01-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

One of the great things about the leisure reading collection at University Park is that it lends itself to getting involved in a variety of campus and community events. One such event that we are proud to be part of is the Centre County Reads campaign. This is an annual event that encourages anyone in the centre region to join in reading one common book - and then participate in associated events and book discussions (see the web site or follow Centre County Reads on Facebook for calendar announcements).

The book that everyone is reading this year, during the months of January and February, is The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett. This is a great old-school mystery that you are sure to get sucked right into! There are twists and turns at every corner of the plot. During the remainder of January and all of February, the leisure reading collection will have several copies of the book available for you to borrow, as well as a display of many other wonderful mysteries that you can check out.

Can't get enough of mysteries? Perhaps you'd like to take a stab at writing your own. In conjunction with the Centre County Reads campaign, the Penn State Arts in Public Life group is sponsoring a mystery-writing contest, with a grand prize of $200!! The winner of this contest will be announced on Februrary 21st at the State Theatre showing of the film inspired by Hammett's book.

We are very excited to have the University Park library on board with this event, and hope that you'll stop by to pick up your favorite mystery today!

The Freedom to Read

2009-09-29T10:37:00.003-04:00

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." - From To Kill a Mockingbird

So reads one of the posters promoting Banned Books Week 2009. What is Banned Books Week? Banned Books Week is a week that celebrates the freedom we all have to read, without restriction on the content that we are allowed to read, and it's happening right now!

From September 26 - October 3, libraries across America are celebrating the freedom to read by holding events, and highlighting collections of books that have commonly been challenged - that is, books that people have protested and asked their libraries to remove from their shelves due to some sort of controversial message or content.

In honor of this week, the leisure reading collection is featuring banned and challenged books and authors in their display racks. Now's your chance to catch up on reading a great book and support your first amendment rights.

Summer - A Great time to Catch a Flick...

2009-07-29T14:41:00.008-04:00

...or read one.

What's one thing that helps keep movie making budgets low in hard times? Using stories that don't need to be rewritten! This year has brought several great films, based on even better books. Here are some highlights that you can find right here at Penn State!

The Time Traveler's Wife, a story that mixes romance and science fiction, is coming to theaters in August!

For those who have yet to read all of the Harry Potter series (I admit, I'm one of those!) there are plenty of copies of the latest volume to hit the screens, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Graphic Novel fans won't go disappointed when you check out a copy of Watchmen, one of the greatest GNs ever written.

Revolutionary Road packs lots of punch for viewers and readers. It's the very moving story of a couple trying to discover just who they are in this life.

Jody Picoult's novels have been popular from the day she began publishing them. This summer, My Sister's Keeper was released on screen. What better time than now to discover (or rediscover) this great author?

For a lighter story, you might enjoy checking out Confessions of a Shopaholic. Rumor has it this is a much better book than movie - check it out and see what you think!

For those who enjoyed Da Vinci Code, this summer brings along Angels and Demons, another great Dan Brown mystery set in glorious Italy.

Finally, The Soloist is a film that features the true story of a former Juilliard student who is discovered on Skid Row by a columnist for the L.A. Times. Before this story was on the big screen, columnist Lopez told the story in a book titled The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.

photo credits:
Time Traveler's Wife Cover via LibraryThing
Kate Winslet Filming Revolutionary Road by BitchBuzz, used under flickr CC license
Shopaholic by bimbibop.com, used under flickr CC license

The Best Of....

2009-01-19T10:46:00.007-05:00

What's a new year without a "best of" list from the previous year? 2008 was an exciting year for the Leisure Reading Collection at University Park. It was the first full year that the collection was in operation, and during that year, the number of titles available for checkout grew from ~400 to over 1500! As the list of books available grew, and more people discovered this great collection, some definite Penn State favorites emerged.

There is great variety among the titles themselves. Some are books that became movies, such as The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Others, I suspect, are titles that cross over into the curriculum, so some people read them for fun, while others were required to read them for class (which was, hopefully, also fun). Many of the books' topics represent a fascination with what is humanly possible, such as The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Some of these titles also appear on national favorite and best-seller lists, such as Amazon's customer favorites of 2008 list. But many of the titles do not (or they appear with much lower rankings), which speaks to the uniqueness of Penn State readers. I have to say, I'm very impressed with what our readers have chosen, and if this year's favorites are any indication of reading lists to come, I can't wait!

Without further adieu, the top 25 titles of 2008!!

1) Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen

2) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

3) I am America and So Can You by Steven Colbert

4) The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

5) The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

6) Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

7) New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

8) Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

9) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

10) Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

11) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

12) The Road by Cormac McCarthy

13) The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs

14) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

15) The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

16) The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

17) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

18) Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me by Pattie Boyd and Penny Junor

19) The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

20) The Host: A Novel by Stephanie Meyer

21) Double Cross: A Novel by James Patterson

22) Almost Moon: A Novel by Alice Sebold

23) The Appeal by John Grisham

24) Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

25) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Business Book Club

2008-11-12T11:03:00.002-05:00

The University Libraries' first student-run book club has recently formed. Ethan Hirsch, a freshman in the Smeal College of Business and a student in the Sapphire Leadership Program, approached the Business Library with the idea of starting a business book club. With the support of both Anne Behler, head of Leisure Reading, who is borrowing copies of the books for members, and Diane Zabel, Benzak Business Librarian, who is providing other operational support, the club is up and operational. Gary White is the faculty advisor for the group.

The first organizational meeting was held on October 28. Ethan Hirsch was elected president and other leaders were selected. There are currently 20 active members. The group also chose the first two books for discussion:

The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (to be discussed at the club's December meeting)
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell

If you are interested in finding out more about the club, please contact Ethan Hirsch: Ethan Hirsch at ethanphirsch@gmail.com. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for December 9, 6:30PM in the DeFluri Seminar Room of the Schreyer Business Library, 3rd Floor Paterno.

... And the living is easy

2008-06-20T10:15:00.004-04:00

Ah summer... If I could just tear myself away from the computer and lay in the grass all day with a good book and a cold drink. That's the dream right? Somehow this fair season is just as busy (if not busier!) than the rest of the year. I've fallen behind on my reading goals (I'm loathe to admit just how far), but in order to recompense I've been thinking of turning this into my summer-of-the-short story. It seems more manageable (and leisurely) to get through a book at a snail's pace, but have the satisfaction of resolution.

From my screen to yours-- a short story collection of summer reading. Dive in, friend. The water's fine.

1. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
From her first few pages of Interpreter of Maladies, I have not been able to turn away from her stories and characters and am happy to see her return to short stories after The Namesake (not to discredit, also startlingly personal and engaging). Vivid, heartfelt, passionate. I'm hungry to read this book.

2. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherman Anderson
Okay, in good faith, I cannot purely call these short stories. I'm not trying to be misleading! They are short stories, but the characters intersect in a way that at times this is called very loosely a novel. This isn't the summer of the novel though, so we will just turn a blind eye, friends, and call them short stories. About Ohio. Small town Ohio (keep reading!). This book changed my thoughts on American literature. Literature. America. No lie.

3. Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout
I love characters who are deeply flawed. And I love reality(a bit redundant, yes). This collection of stories is heavy on both. I'm halfway through this book now. I've been chewing on it, I can't read it fast, too reluctant that it will be over. Small town American life is profound and Stout's well crafted pen depicts this compassionately, powerfully-- I'm fully engaged, but comfortably distant. Can't relate to a retired school teacher? Think again.

4. Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz
Okay, I'm really out on a limb calling this one a short story collection, you've got me. But it reads like short stories. Well, in a loose sense. (But if we can't fictionalize some things, it's going to be a long summer!) What do I tell you about this book? It's about the civil war. Retraction-- It's about the South. Kind of. It's written by a Pulitzer prize winning New York journalist and his year learning about the South. Throw away your stereotypes and put on your thinking caps.

Any of them strike your fancy? Let us know!

~Wendy
Reader of Many, Finisher of Some

Ellysa's Summer Reading Picks

2008-06-03T21:32:00.003-04:00

As a former children's librarian, my list of favorite books would typically include lots of picture books and young adult novels. I know that constitutes leisure reading for some people (I happen to live with two of those people), but in the interest of sharing a little something for everyone, I've compiled a list of favorite summer reads.

You can see my entire list of recommended reads on LibraryThing. Below, I've pulled out just a few of the books I enjoy reading in the summer (or really, any time of the year!)

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I love anything David Sedaris writes, whether it is an essay in the New Yorker or one of his essay collections (did you hear that his newest book just came out?) His eye for insane details, his gift for capturing the edginess in every human interaction, and especially his descriptions of his mother. I love reading about his mother. This is an absolutely funny, totally terrific collection of his essays.

The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald. You knew I was going to work a children's literature reference into this list, didn't you? Betty MacDonald was the author of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books--some of my very favorite novels for kids. The Egg & I is just one of her memoirs for adults--she wrote four in total. It describes Betty's life on a chicken farm with her new husband. Terribly funny and also good to read if you are ever feeling sorry for yourself. Betty's hard, menial labor on that farm simply never ended. If you like the Egg & I, I also recommend The Plague & I, Betty's light-hearted account of life in a tuberculosis sanatorium. I swear it is light-hearted. And, if you ever want to talk about Betty MacDonald and her wonderful books, stop by my office. I will talk your ear off.

Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again. by Ina Garten. I read cookbooks like novels, and I admit to having something of a Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) addiction. Unlike most of the cookbooks I read, however, Ina's recipes are ones that I actually make. Her recipes are the epitome of simplicity and elegance. Everything in here is terrific and relatively easy to make. I made the California BLTs last week, and the Summer Borscht the week before that. Fabulous.

I've selected one more cooking-related book to round out my short list of recommendations...
Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell. This is a memoir, chronicling one woman's quest to cook everything in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. If that doesn't sound daunting, just take a look at Julia Child's masterwork (or read this book) and you'll immediately understand why this was a nearly insane undertaking. This book is currently being made into a movie, starring Meryl Streep as Julia.
On a related note, I was lucky enough to find Volumes I and II of Mastering the Art of French Cooking at the AAUW book sale this year. These are two books that are wonderful to read, but recipe-wise, a little too daunting for me!

Do you have summer reading recommendations to share, or thoughts on the books I've highlighted? Email me or Anne, or share a comment below!

Celebrate Irish literature all year long

2008-03-13T10:13:00.012-04:00

Many Americans, Irish ancestry or not, celebrate Ireland once a year, on St. Patrick’s day. You can enjoy Irish culture all year long, with Irish novels and short story collections from the University Libraries. If the thought of Irish literature brings to mind slogging through an incomprehensible novel or a dreary poem, think again. There are many lively Irish and Irish American authors writing today, writers who chronicle the stories of teenage bands, young women in love, and ghosts who appear in apple orchards.

William Trevor, born in County Cork, Ireland in 1928, considers himself a short story writer who also writes novels. In After Rain, a collection of stories published in 1996, the characters are ordinary people, fathers, wives, mischievous young boys, wayward young men, but their stories are often wryly funny, and vividly real. In “A Bit of Business,” two young men set out on a robbing spree in the Dublin suburbs, only to find their image of themselves as fearless ruffians called into question.

The small dramas of everyday life, love affairs, divorce, children who grow up and leave home, are told in a quiet, measured way that somehow makes them seem extraordinary. This the kind of book to read on a rainy day while sipping a cup of Irish tea.

Read more about William Trevor in an interview in the New York Times.

Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin in 1916 but came to the United States at the age of 17 and spent much of her adult life in Manhattan, where she wrote for The New Yorker for many years. She died in 1993 following a long battle with mental illness.

The Rose Garden, published posthumously in 2000, includes stories set in Herbert’s Retreat, a fictional upscale river community north of New York City, as well as in Ireland and Manhattan. Many of the stories are seen through the eyes of servants (mostly Irish), a gossipy, savvy lot who laugh behind their hands at their bosses, beautiful, determined women obsessed with matching accessories and perfect river views.

No character escapes Brennan’s sharp eye and biting wit. In “The Holy Terror,” an aging “ladies room lady” in a Dublin hotel battles her prim new assistant manager, and neither of them emerges unscathed. If William Trevor’s humor is dry and subtle, Brennan’s is as sharp as a skewer.

Read more about Maeve Brennan’s colorful literary life and her friendship with the poet Philip Larkin in her book The Philip Larkin I Knew, available in the University Libraries collection.

Roddy Doyle, another Dublin-born writer, has written short stories, novels, screenplays, and children’s books. “The Commitments,” the first story in The Barrytown Trilogy, is written largely in dialog and tells the story of a group of young Dubliners who form a soul band. If this sounds like a good plot for a movie, it is: “The Commitments” was made into a movie in 1991, with a screenplay written by Doyle.

The Barrytown Trilogy is a comic novel, but this humor is the dark, edgy kind. Characters wander in and out of the story, shouting, smoking, playing guitar, practicing James Brown moves, and occasionally showing up for rehearsals in fluffy slippers. If you’ve ever played in a band or wanted to, it’s hard not to smile as you read about Jimmy Rabbitte, the band’s manager, and his dream to bring soul to Dublin.

When you finish The Barrytown Trilogy, check out the film version of The Commitments, as well as the movies based on the other two stories, The Snapper and The Van.

Read more about Roddy Doyle in an interview in Salon.com online magazine.

This year, after you take off your green plastic hat and your shamrock pin, check out some Irish short stories or novels, and celebrate the beauty of the Emerald Isle all year.

Dawn Amsberry, Library Learning Services

Fun with Reading LIsts, by Anne Behler, Selector for the Leisure Reading Collection

2008-02-22T13:41:00.002-05:00

Often, when I'm in the mood to read a book for fun, the hardest part of getting started is figuring out exactly what book to read! In my efforts to choose books for the leisure reading collection, I've come across many different online reading lists that serve as great places to get started. These lists come in all sizes, categories, and flavors. Here are some of the ones I've found to be most helpful, the most fun, or the most thought-provoking. Happy reading!

p.s.--if you find a title on one of these lists you'd like to see in the leisure reading collection, just add a comment to this post, or send an email to goodreads@psulias.psu.edu, and I'll be happy to consider it! Also, if you have a favorite book list and want to share, post that too!

The Oddest Book Title Prize list, by Bookseller

The King County Library System (Seattle) offers several great lists including their MegaLit: Fiction and MegaLit: Nonfiction lists. These are must-read titles that have stood the test of time.

The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2007 list

Pulitzer Prize winners

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners

The National Book Critics Circle finalists and award winners

The Man Booker International Prize award winners

Oprah's picks

The Horror Writers Association gives out the Bram Stoker Award

Food lovers should check out the IACP Cookbook Award winners

The Hugo Book Award recognizes great science fiction.

...The list of lists could go on forever. Enjoy the adventures the lead you on!

Spotlight on the PAMS Library!

2008-02-06T10:14:00.001-05:00

For the Spring Semester, the Leisure Reading Collection is shining the library spotlight on the Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) Library. This library, located in the Davey Lab right across from the HUB, is home to librarians and collections supporting the physical and mathematical sciences. In addition, PAMS hosts a weekly Friday Flicks series, featuring films that highlight current issues and ideas in the physical and mathematical science world.

The books that are highlighted in the Leisure Reading Collection this Spring are just a tiny taste for what the PAMS library has to offer. Stop by and browse the collection in the Course Reserves Room of West Pattee Library, check out a book, and learn about what the PAMS library has to offer!

Beginnings

2008-01-21T19:35:00.000-05:00

Today, January 21, marks a new beginning for the libraries at University Park. As of today, the Leisure Reading Collection at University Park is a reality! No more trying to figure out what to read over vacation. No more combing through the stacks trying to find a book you want to read just for the sake of reading it. Now you can browse a collection of books - bestsellers, popular titles, award winners - books that you want to read. Check it out in the Reserve Reading Room of the West Pattee Library and let us know what you think at goodreads@psulias.psu.edu.