Reading Recs

A true story of the desecration and theft of priceless books from a major university library. What drives the perpetrator? Will he be caught? If so, what about the punishment? A library lover will be outraged. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, faculty emerita.

This nonfiction work explores the workings of a large public library, with its variety of personalities among the staff and the public. Some excellent library history is included. When the library suffers a catastrophe, you wonder if it was an accident or a crime. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, faculty emerita.

If you like libraries and historical fiction, you are in for a treat! Fiona Davis weaves together two stories, Laura Lyons in 1913 and her granddaughter Sadie Donovan in 1993. Laura and her family are living in an apartment inside The New York Public Library now that her husband has become the building superintendent. Sadie, 80 years later, is a curator at the library. When items begin disappearing from a collection that Sadie is preparing for exhibit, you'll see these two ladies' lives intertwine as Laura tries to step out of her role as traditional wife and mother and Sadie begins to learn new details about her families' past. Fiona Davis has done her research about this New York City landmark helping to make this a fantastic piece of historical fiction! ~Susan Welker, Kent Library

Anthropodermic bibliopegy, or the practice of binding books in human skin has been referenced as far back as the 1700s. But how many of these books are actually in existence and where did they come from? Librarian, Megan Rosenbloom takes the reader on an intimate look into the history, science, and legend of this grisly (and intriguing) practice. ~Liz Rudloff, Kent Library

In college Aaron Lansky wanted to learn Jewish history so he began reading books in Yiddish. Searching for books led him to a rabbi who was burying his books because no one would read them. This experience inspired him to collect Yiddish books from dumpsters and through donations donations to create the Yiddish Book Center. Located in Amherst, MA, The Yiddish Book Center now provides digital access to these works and educational programs. Follow this amazing book collecting journey with beautiful illustrations inspired by the work of Marc Chagall. ~Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

A great and exciting story with a protagonist that without knowing it, would write the most important book in the Universe! ~Jose Mino Lara, Southeast Online

This book dives into the world of cover art and explores why we give some books a second glance and why others get judged purely by their cover. A little bit of design, a little bit of art history, and a little bit of literary criticism, this book is interesting AND beautiful. ~Liz Rudloff, Kent Library

This book may seem dated, since it was written in 1977, before technology. Nonetheless it is a first-rate mystery that teaches the reader a lot about the workings of a research library. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, faculty emerita.

Thursday Next, a special operative in literary detection, is on the trail of a kidnapper and Jane Eyre, who's been abducted from the pages of Bronte's novel. This book has everything. A mystery, time travel, characters from literature, great book puns... ~Liz Rudloff, Kent Library.

The head librarian has rules for the library: no running and everyone must be quiet! But what about having a lion in the library? Since there isn't a rule against lions, when a lion visits, he is allowed to stay. He fits in well: his feet are quiet, he can dust with his tail, and he is comfy to sit on during story time. When disaster strikes during book shelving, Lion comes to the rescue while breaking rules. Are there good reasons to break rules? ~Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

This book describes life at the legendary English-language used bookstore in central Paris called Shakespeare & Co.. The longtime owner, George Whitman, allowed students and struggling writers to sleep in the attic and storerooms for free in exchange for helping around the shop. The bookstore is like no other, a cultural landmark. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, faculty emerita.

One of my favorite books in my favorite edition. Penguin Drop Caps is a beautiful set of 26 hardcover editions featuring authors last names from A to Z. Z is for Zafon, and The Shadow of the Wind is a hauntingly beautiful story of a boy named Daniel, the cemetery of forgotten books, and a mystery that takes you across war torn Barcelona. ~Liz Rudloff, Kent Library