{"id":7711,"date":"2013-07-25T11:00:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-25T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.lib.luc.edu\/locl\/?p=7711"},"modified":"2026-01-12T15:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:37:13","slug":"staff-picks-for-summer-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/2013\/07\/25\/staff-picks-for-summer-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Picks: Summer Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bookpic\"<\/a>Looking for something to read this summer? The LUC libraries have some suggestions. Some of our staff members told us a bit about a few of their favorite reads.\u00a0 If you see anything that piques your interest, many of these books are available at the LUC Libraries – call numbers are listed after the titles. Books not available at the LUC libraries can be requested through ILL.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

James Conley, our Media Services Librarian, suggests a pair of non-fiction reads:<\/p>\n

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks<\/em> by Rebecca Skloot – RC265.6 .L24 S55 2010 <\/b><\/p>\n

This book tells a fascinating story about the cell culture process and cell line responsible for many of the cures in contemporary modern medicine. More importantly, it tells the story of the disenfranchisement of a family who lost their beloved mother through lack of access to information and unprincipled medical practices.<\/p>\n

Tokyo Vice<\/em> by Jake Adelstein<\/b><\/p>\n

This is the harrowing story of an American (or gaijin<\/i>) who successfully makes it as a police beat reporter in Japan, only to uncover some dangerous connections between the US and a Yakuza clan. This thrilling biography offers fascinating insight into the legal, ethical, social and media processes in Japan and how the Yakuza functions in contemporary Japanese society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shannon Haluszczak, a member of the Serials Department, suggests:<\/p>\n

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It<\/em> by Neal Bascomb<\/b><\/p>\n

This book tells the story of three world-class runners who set out to break the four-minute mile barrier in the 1950s. Bascomb lays out the failures and triumphs that led Roger Bannister, John Landy and Wes Santee to this ultimate challenge. It’s an awe-inspiring story of passion, perserverance and heroism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Robert Seal, the Dean of the University Libraries, recommends a detective novel:<\/p>\n

The Redeemer<\/em> \u00a0by Jo Nesbo \u00a0– PT8951.24 .E83 F7413 2013<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

This is one of the latest of Nesbo\u2019s Harry Hole detective novels to be translated into English. Harry and colleagues on the Oslo police force are tracking down an unknown assassin who has murdered a Salvation Army soldier.\u00a0 Like all Nesbo books, this one is great escapist fiction and a real page-turner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gabrielle Annala, our Business Librarian, picked two entertaining memoirs:<\/p>\n

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened<\/em> by Jenny Lawson – PN4874 .L285 A3 2012<\/b><\/p>\n

This humorous autobiographical memoir tells the story of a socially awkward girl growing up in rural Texas with a father (a professional taxidermist) that likes to keep bizarre pets like wild turkeys and raccoons.\u00a0 After spending years growing up in a town of about 300 people, Jenny never quite outgrows her awkwardness and carries it with her well into adult life.\u00a0 Jenny initially became famous for her blog: The Bloggess.\u00a0 Followers were so enamored with her charm, sarcasm, and absurd personality that she gained a national following.<\/p>\n

Bitter is the New Black<\/em> by Jen Lancaster<\/b><\/p>\n

Another humorous autobiographical memoir, Jen Lancaster and her longtime boyfriend rise to the top of their fields and become wealthy Chicagoans.\u00a0 When the dot com bubble burst in 2000 they both found themselves unemployed and eventually unable to find work.\u00a0 Jen retells their fall from financial grace with hilarious sarcasm and altruism.\u00a0 She uses this first memoir as a “lifestyle post-mortem” and makes fun of the way she used to live, while learning to be an adult on a budget, and sometimes food stamps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"bookpic\"<\/a>Kim Medema, of the Acquisitions Department, suggests:<\/p>\n

The Omnivore’s Dilemma<\/em> by Michael Pollan – <\/b>HD9000.5 .C506 2009<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

You’d have to have spent the last decade living under a rock to have avoided hearing about Michael Pollan. The Omnivore’s Dilemma<\/i> is his seminal work about American food systems. If you’re like me, this book will leave you afraid to eat anything for a week while you seriously revisit your personal food politics. But you’ll be much better off in the end!<\/p>\n

Wilco: Learning How To Die<\/em> by Greg Kot –<\/b> ML421 .W52 K68 2004<\/b><\/p>\n

This book covers the history and discography of Wilco from Jeff Tweedy’s middle school days through the drama of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/i> and its supporting tour. The book ends just as the band heads into the studio to record A Ghost is Born<\/i>. This is a must-read for any Wilco fan, and I hope one day Greg Kot will write a revised edition that includes the band’s history since 2004. Pair this with the documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart<\/i>, and you will never listen to a Wilco album the same way again.<\/p>\n

Divergent<\/em> by \u00a0Veronica Roth –<\/b> PZ7 .R7375 Di 2011<\/b><\/p>\n

You loved The Hunger Games<\/i> and you heard some similar dystopian YA book-turned-movie was recently filming in Chicago. This is that book. Read Divergent<\/i> and Insurgent<\/i> now so you’ll be ready for the October release of the final book installment (Allegiant<\/i>,) and also so you will be ahead of the curve when everyone races to pick up a copy of this book in advance of the 2014 film release.<\/p>\n

Ender’s Game<\/em> by Orson Scott Card –<\/b> PS3553 .A655 E5 1991<\/b><\/p>\n

Another “hey, this is about to be released as a movie” selection for you. There is so much more to Ender’s Game<\/i> than the movie trailer suggests. Take any of the book’s discussions of war, politics, morality, or the fundamental question of what it means to be human and you have the fuel for a full night of impassioned sci fi-driven debates with your friends. You guys do that, right?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sarah Meisch, another member of the Serials Department, recommends:<\/p>\n

Lourdes: Body and Spirit in the Secular Age<\/em> by Ruth Harris – BT653 .H37 1999<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a history book that reads like a novel. It explains with beautiful detail and emotion how a little town set in the Pyrenees became one of the most important Catholic Pilgrimage sites of the 19th<\/sup> Century. \u00a0If you really enjoy this book, I suggest following it with the 1894 novel Lourdes<\/em> by Emile Zola for a fascinating, contemporary perspective. (PQ 2506 .A38 1993)<\/p>\n

Fall of Giants<\/em> by Ken Follett – PR6056 .O45 F35 2010 <\/b><\/p>\n

This is a novel full of historical information, and is part one of Follett\u2019s Century Trilogy – for those (like me) who just can\u2019t get enough of the 20th<\/sup> century. \u00a0If you like Downton Abbey<\/em>, All Quiet on the Western Front<\/em>, Dr. Zhivago<\/em>, or the film Joyeux Noel<\/em>, this book is worth checking out. It follows the lives of several interconnected families across Europe and the United States from the early years of the 20th<\/sup> Century through World War One and into the Depression. The second book in the Century Trilogy, Winter of the World<\/em>, is also available, but I have to say it doesn\u2019t quite live up to the legacy of the first book (PR6056 .O45 W56 2012).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking for something to read this summer? The LUC libraries have some suggestions. Some of our staff members told us a bit about a few of their favorite reads.\u00a0 If you see anything that piques your interest, many of these books are available at the LUC Libraries – call numbers are listed after the titles. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":7712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[1,5016],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7711"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17783,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711\/revisions\/17783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/noteworthy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}