Reading Revelry: March

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library Resources and Services

Posted on March 1, 2024September 5, 2024

Happy March and early happy International Women’s Day (March 8th)! This month, our recommendations are books by women and about women. We hope you enjoy. Happy Reading!

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

ISBN: 9781250244048

Publication Date: 2022-04-26

Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself. If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-García

ISBN: 9781432885380

Publication Date: 2021-02-24

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find–her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí ; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

ISBN: 9780525563488

Publication Date: 2020-03-31

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago, and moved into a house with a garden that requires repairs and know-how with her wife in a Blue town in the middle of a Red state where she now hosts book clubs and makes mason jar salads. This is the bourgeois life of a Hallmark Channel dream. She goes on bad dates with new friends, spends weeks in Los Angeles taking meetings with “tv executives slash amateur astrologers” while being a “cheese fry-eating slightly damp Midwest person,” “with neck pain and no cartilage in [her] knees,” who still hides past due bills under her pillow.

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

ISBN: 9780399592683

Publication Date: 2020-03-24

Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she’d tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer’s phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants.

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Reading Revelry February

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library Uncategorized

Posted on January 30, 2024September 5, 2024

Happy Black History month! This month’s Reading Revelry is focused on supporting the visibility of Black authors and books about Black culture, history, and people. We hope you will find something enjoyable and educational out of our picks for this month. Happy Reading!

The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

ISBN: 9780316229296

Publication Date: 2015-08-04

This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

His Name Is George Floyd (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Robert Samuels; Toluse Olorunnipa

ISBN: 9780593490617

Publication Date: 2022-05-17

A landmark biography by two prizewinning Washington Post reporters that reveals how systemic racism shaped George Floyd’s life and legacy–from his family’s roots in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, to ongoing inequality in housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and policing–telling the story of how one man’s tragic experience brought about a global movement for change.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

ISBN: 9780061120060

Publication Date: 2006-05-30

Out of print for almost thirty years–due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist–Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature. This book follows the recounting of the life of Janie Crawford. Janie recounts her life, her love, the lives of her family, and the world she navigates as a black women living in Florida in the early 20th century.

Black Women Taught Us by Jenn M. Jackson

ISBN: 9780593243336

Publication Date: 2024-01-23

A reclamation of essential history and a hopeful gesture toward a better political future, this is what listening to Black women looks like–from a professor of political science and columnist for Teen Vogue. “Jenn M. Jackson is a beautiful writer and excellent scholar. In this book, they pay tribute to generations of Black women organizers and set forward a bold and courageous blueprint for our collective liberation.”–Imani Perry, author of South to America.

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Reading Revelry: January

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library

Posted on December 18, 2023September 5, 2024

Season’s Greetings from all of us at the Engineering library. Whether you just finished celebrating the holidays, or you are still celebrating, we want you to have as many opportunities to dig up some readings recommendations as possible. We chose Romance as this month’s Reading Revelry theme to remind us all of warm and exciting days as we gear up to face the rest of a chilling winter. We hope you all find some good selections from our list to settle into the cold months with. Happy Reading!

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond

ISBN: 9780593243978

Publication Date: 2022-05-03

Amy, a semi-closeted queer baker and bartender in mid-2010s Oklahoma, has spent a lifetime putting other people’s needs before her own. Until, that is, she’s fired from her job at a Christian bakery and turns her one-off gig subbing in for a bridesmaid into a full-time business, thanks to her baking talents, crafting skills, and years watching rom-coms and Say Yes to the Dress. Between her new gig and meeting Charley, the attractive engineer who’s just moved to Tulsa, suddenly Amy’s found something-and someone-she actually wants.

Of the Wild (Can be obtained through an ILL request) by Elizabeth Wambheim; Hannah Culbert (Cover Design by)

ISBN: 9781735753201

Publication Date: 2021-06-28

Aeris, a shapeshifter of the Wild, steals children from unloving homes and raises them as his own in an enchanted grove deep in the Woods. Under the protective eye of their new guardian, the children absorb the forest’s magic and grow more fey-like than human: some of them sprout mushrooms or flowers while others develop scales or wings. But the reserve of magic that keeps Aeris and his forest home alive is inexplicably running dry. With his life waning and the dangers of the Wild creeping closer and closer, Aeris will do anything to protect his family, even set his hopes on an unlikely new arrival in the Woods: a human stranger.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

ISBN: 9780063063235

Publication Date: 2020-12-01

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsy before a prince–while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable. Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen. Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake

ISBN: 9780593550571

Publication Date: 2023-10-24

Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. Her best friends are all coupled up, her siblings have partners that are perfect for them, and her parents are still blissfully married. And she’s happy for all of them, truly. Iris doesn’t want any of that–dating, love, romance. She’ll stick to her commitment-free hookups, thanks very much, except no one in her life will just let her be. Everyone wants to see her settled down, but she holds firmly to her no dating rule. There’s only one problem–Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she’s completely out of idea

home Engineering Library Reading Revelry: December

Reading Revelry: December

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library

Posted on December 1, 2023September 5, 2024

Happy December Readers! For this month, we wanted to focus on some mystery novels to dive into after the chaos of finals and the end of the semester. We hope you all have a good, restful break. Happy Reading!

CW: Please be aware that most of these selections are murder mysteries. They all contain gore and horror elements in varying degrees.

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett; Stephen Briggs (Adapted by)

ISBN: 9781350244696

Publication Date: 2021-03-11

It’s the night before Hogswatch. And it’s too quiet. Superstition makes things work in the Discworld, and undermining it can have consequences. It’s just not right to find Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say ‘Ho Ho Ho…’It’s the last night of the year, the time is turning, and if Susan, gothic governess and Death’s granddaughter (sort of), doesn’t sort everything out by morning, there won’t be a morning. Ever again…

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

ISBN: 9781410455765

Publication Date: 2013-03-18

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. Daniel Hudson Burnham, a renowned architect, was the brilliant director of works for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor, was the satanic murderer of scores of young women in a torture palace built for the purpose near the fairgrounds.

Murder on the Orient Express, Level 4 by Agatha Christie

ISBN: 9781405892148

Publication Date: 2013-09-16

A train journey from Turkey to France is dalayed by thick snow. So when a passenger on the train is found murdered in his bed, it is the perfect opportunity for Agatha Christie’s famous detective, Hercule Poirot, to prove his ability and solve the crime using the power of his brain.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

ISBN: 9780307742483

Publication Date: 2018-04-03

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

home Engineering Library EL&TC: November Reading Revelry

EL&TC: November Reading Revelry

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library

Posted on November 2, 2023September 5, 2024

The month of November is the chilly calm before the mighty storm of finals week. There will be papers, exams, and stress. Although, it doesn’t have to be all work. Rest is just as important. And why not rest your mind by escaping into the cozy, fantastical worlds within this month’s Reading Revelry selections? The holiday break is almost here, and you’ll do great on your finals. Happy Reading!

Witch Hat Atelier 1 by Kamome Shirahama

ISBN: 9781632367709

Publication Date: 2019-04-23

In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with the gift for magic. She’s resigned to her un-magical life, until a traveling magician passes through her village, and Coco learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

ISBN: 9781614505242

Publication Date: 2020-07-21

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

ISBN: 9780593439357

Publication Date: 2022-08-23

Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, and is used to keeping her head down with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos ‘pretending’ to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. When a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will decide whether protecting her found family is worth risking it all.

The House Witch by Delemhach

ISBN: 9781039410251

Publication Date: 2022

When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He’s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin’s secret identity doesn’t stay hidden for long. After all, it’s not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues.

home Engineering Library Reading Revelry: October

Reading Revelry: October

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library

Posted on October 1, 2023September 5, 2024

October is all about embracing Autumn by spending a cozy afternoon with a good book. Whether you’re looking for something light and heartwarming or something dark and mysterious, we’ve got you covered with this month’s Reading Revelry selections. From all of us at the Engineering library, happy fall and happy reading!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

ISBN: 9780385353304

Publication Date: 2014-09-09

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end. Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence.

Carmilla: the First Vampire by Amy Chu; Soo Lee (Illustrator); Sal Cipriano (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781506734644

Publication Date: 2023-02-28

At the height of the Lunar New Year in 1990s New York City, an idealistic social worker turns detective when she discovers young, homeless LGBTQ+ women are being murdered and no one, especially the police, seems to care. A series of clues points her to Carmilla’s, a mysterious nightclub in the heart of her neighborhood, Chinatown. There she falls for the next likely target, landing her at the center of a real-life horror story and face-to-face with illusions about herself, her life, and her hidden past. Inspired by the gothic novel that started the vampire genre and layered with dark Chinese folklore, this queer, feminist murder mystery is a tale of identity, obsession and fateful family secrets

Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir; Steenz (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9781620104705

Publication Date: 2018-03-06

After losing her job at the library, Cel Walden starts working at the haunting Logan Museum as an archivist. But the job may not be the second chance she was hoping for, and she finds herself confronting her mental health, her relationships, and before long, her grasp on reality as she begins to dream of a young woman she’s never met, but feels strangely drawn to.

DeadEndia: the Watcher’s Test by Hamish Steele

ISBN: 9781910620472

Publication Date: 2018-08-07

Barney and his best friend Norma are just trying to get by and keep their jobs, but working at the Dead End theme park also means battling demonic forces, time traveling wizards, and scariest of all–their love lives!

home Engineering Library Reading Revelry: September

Reading Revelry: September

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library

Posted on September 1, 2023September 5, 2024

Happy (sort of) Fall! This month’s Reading Revelry is all about Brandon Sanderson. Since his break through into the world of publishing novels in the early 2010s, Sanderson has made his name in the writing world with epic adventures, dazzling protagonists, and rich fantasy worlds. Here are just a view of his books to delve into. Happy Reading!

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

ISBN: 9781250318541

Publication Date: 2019-09-24

Vin is a Skaa thief living and surviving in the Lord Ruler’s twisted government where upper class Nobles are shielded from the hardships and struggle that the lower class Skaas are forced to face. However, when she’s approached by a band of rebels looking to use their secret powers to overthrow the tyrannical Lord Ruler, she might just have a way out. They know she has secret power too, and they are willing to show her how to use it to fight.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

ISBN: 9780765360038

Publication Date: 2010-03-30

By using “breath” and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

ISBN: 9780765365279

Publication Date: 2011-05-24

Introduces the world of Roshar through the experiences of a war-weary royal compelled by visions, a highborn youth condemned to military slavery, and a woman who is desperate to save her impoverished house

home Engineering Library, Resources and Services Reading Revelry: August

Reading Revelry: August

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library Resources and Services

Posted on August 2, 2023September 5, 2024

Happy August! For some, this month means a sad goodbye to relaxing days in the sun and relishing in the simplicity of warm days and cool nights. For others, it means saying hello to chilly, crisp mornings and dusting off their impressive collection of flannel. Whether you’re already missing summer or you’re excitedly greeting the soon-to-come fall, Reading Revelry has a couple books to spend your August with. Happy Reading:

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

ISBN: 9781250798008

Publication Date: 2021-06-29

The Ninth House is a great book to enter into the Autumn months with. Galaxy “Alex” Stern finds herself transitioning from her troubled life and mysterious past to entering her first semester at Yale. However, this also means she is stepping into her new role as Dante for Lethe House, a secret society tasked with overseeing the occult activities of the other eight secret societies inhabiting Yale’s campus. Will she be able to balance her new life and come to understand the nature of her power?

A Quitter’s Paradise by Elysha Chang

ISBN: 9781638930525

Publication Date: 2023-06-06

Eleanor is doing just fine. Yes, she’s keeping secrets from her husband. Sure, she quit her PhD program and is now conducting unauthorized research on illegitimately procured mice. And, true, her mother is dead, and Eleanor has yet to go through her things. But what else is she supposed to do? What shape can grief take when you didn’t understand the person you’ve lost? Resisting at every turn, Eleanor tumbles blindly down a path toward confronting her present. As Eleanor’s avoidance of her feelings results in a series of outrageous–often hilarious–choices, her actions begin to threaten all she holds most dear. Meanwhile, glimpses of Eleanor’s childhood and family history in Taiwan unfurl, revealing long-held secrets, and Eleanor starts to realize that she will never be able to escape her grief, or her family, despite her wildest attempts. But that doesn’t mean she can’t handle what’s to come. While maybe not inherently a summer book, A Quitter’s Paradise confronts the idea of change. For those starting new things in the beginning of a new year, having help with change might be just the right thing.

home Engineering Library, Resources and Services Reading Revelry: Judy Blume July

Reading Revelry: Judy Blume July

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library Resources and Services

Posted on July 1, 2023September 5, 2024

The Engineering Library is turning our attention to Judy Blume for our Reading Revelry picks for the month of July.

Since her first published work in 1969, Judy Blume gained renown as a prolific author to have published works for child, young adult, and adult audiences. However, she is also considered a trailblazer of child and young adult literature^[1]. Blume wrote books that discussed topics of bullying, love, sex, and body image during a time where these things were rarely ever discussed in spaces children and teens had access to. While she was met with opposition, many of her readers still hold true that her books were spaces for them to finally get answers about themselves and the world around them that they couldn’t have asked anywhere else^[1].

We hope you will enjoy reading (or re-reading) the selections we’ve picked for this month. Happy Reading!

Blubber by Judy Blume

ISBN: 9781481414401

Publication Date: 1974/2014

Jill and the rest of her fifth-grade class follow Wendy and Caroline’s example after they begin bullying a classmate for her appearance. However, it doesn’t take long for Jill and her best friend Tracy to realize that they are not exempt from becoming bullied themselves. The girls soon find themselves being tormented in a similar fashion by Wendy, Caroline, and the classmate they chose to bully simply because it was what everyone else was doing.

Here’s to you, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

ISBN: 9780440409465

Publication Date: 1994

Rachel Robinson is thirteen years old, and she is the youngest of three siblings. While she is proud of her academic accomplishments, Rachel feels like her insecurities and perceived insignificance may get the better of her. Throughout the novel, she feels like she fades into the background of her family’s hectic life, that her best friends, Alison and Stephanie, secretly dislike her, that she might not be able to handle the pressure of joining high-achieving school societies, and worried over her crush on her brother’s older tutor, Paul Medeiros. In this novel, Blume captures the worries and insecurities that follow children into young adulthood^[2].

Wifey by Judy Blume

ISBN: 9780425206546

Publication Date: 1978/2005

Wifey follows the life of Sandy Pressman, a New Jersey housewife in the 1970s. Bored with her life and marriage, Sandy decides to have an extramarital affair with an old boyfriend. However, her world seems to shift suddenly when she discovers evidence that her husband might also be having an affair. This novel expands on many questions surrounding the pressures of what building a “perfect” life looks like for women. While the book was written in the 70s, the discussions within the novel can still apply to today’s ideas of gender roles, heteronormative lifestyles, and the parts of a marriage no one else sees^[2].

Sources

Phillis, Leah (2018). Judy Blume (2938-) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327423779_Judy_Blume_1938-
The New York Times. (n.d.). The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/09/13/specials/maynard-blume.html

home Engineering Library, Resources and Services MU Engineering Library’s Reading Revelry

MU Engineering Library’s Reading Revelry

By Gabe Harman Posted in Engineering Library Resources and Services

Posted on June 1, 2023September 5, 2024

The staff at MU’s Engineering library is ecstatic to present our monthly book recommendation program: Reading Revelry!

Each month, our library staff will pick one or more books as recommendations for students to curl up and unwind from their studies with a good book or two (or more).

Please visit our Reading Revelry library guide to keep up with each month’s selections. Happy reading!

Our Selections for the month of June:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

ISBN: 9781635570304

Publication Date: 2020-02-18

Dive into a fantasy world rich with adventure, political game, magic, and dragons in Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree. This book follows a Queen pressured with producing an heir to her throne, a lady-in-waiting tied to a secret society, a Lord banished from his kingdom by those looking to destroy it from the inside, and a young soon-to-be dragon rider willing to put her future on the line for an outsider.

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

ISBN: 9780374312718

Publication Date: 2020-04-28

George Johnson’s “Memoir Manifesto” is an honest, poignant recounting of their life experience as a black, queer person growing up in New Jersey and Virginia. The book follows Johnson from childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Beautifully told, the story navigates finding one’s own intersectional identity out of trials, triumphs, pain, and joy.

Content Warnings: Sexual Assault, Racial Slurs and Violence, Homophobic Slurs and Violence, and Familial Violence

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver (Illustrator)

ISBN: 9780983875550

Publication Date: 2015-04-14

Medical student Amal creates a rift with his conservative parents by coming out to them. After a night of trying to handle his emotional distress with alcohol, he wakes up to man by the name of TJ frying eggs and singing Paul Simon in his kitchen. TJ reveals that the two had made a drunken pact to drive from Berkeley to Providence. Amal needs to get there to fulfill a promise to his younger sister that he will attend her graduation. TJ has his own reasons for making the trip. Thus ensues a road trip between the two that is sweet, sometimes serious, and almost always heartening.

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