MU Reads: Staff Recommendations (2020-21)

"All Around Us introduces us to a young girl and her grandfather, as they explore their connections to the world around them and previous generations.  The gorgeous illustrations bring a sense motion that carries the reader into the story.   As the girl walks and works side by side with her grandfather, she learns of her place in her family.  I find a sense of joy and comfort in this discovery!" -- Zana Sueme, Digital and Scholarly Communication Services

"This was one of the first books to ever make me cry. It’s a beautiful story about the bond between siblings that reminds me a bit of my sibling." -- Julianna Music, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves / Research and Instruction Services

"My favorite of Mcrumb’s books.  An engineer and an English professor are hawking a SF book at a fantasy convention when a famous fantasy author is murdered.  Can the mystery be solved before the convention ends!  A very fun read!" -- Ron Titus, Research and Instruction Services

"A retelling of Ancient Greek myths that delves deeper into the inner life of the witch, Circe, a woman cast out from Olympus for her humanity and maligned by mortals for her divinity. She grapples with love, loss, exile, empathy, and power in a compelling tale that will feel familiar while simultaneously upending the familiarity into something new." -- Gillian Sochor, Online Learning Instructional Design Center

"I love Minh Le’s sweet story, along with Dan Satat’s incredible illustrations!   Sometimes words fail us, whether with family, friends or potential new friends. This book challenges me to think outside the box, seek common ground and persevere in my efforts! I believe it pays off!" -- Zana Sueme, Digital and Scholarly Communication Services

"The characters in this book are complicated yet recognizable, and the author does a fantastic job of creating their world using beautiful language. This would be a great read for any Theater, Art, or English majors." -- Sarah Mollette, Research and Instruction Services

"Hill William opens up with a character from Beckley, West Virginia, named Scott McClanahan punching himself in the face. Why does Scott McClanahan from Beckley, West Virginia, punch himself in the face? Read Hill William to find out! This book absolutely destroyed me. Hill William hit so close to home and punched me in the heart so hard I cried." -- Christopher Hodge, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves

"The 3rd and 4th essays especially consider the problem of 'human nature' in original ways, with radical consequences for our ideas of 'history,' 'technology,' and 'nature.' The human being is not just a clever animal who invents tools in order to make life easier; rather, she must first invent a vision of a good life, a reason to live—who she is to be. This invented purpose is the measure of a technology or civilization’s 'advancement' or 'primitiveness,' challenging the very idea of a simply-linear time or simply-unified story of humanity." -- Paul Turner, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves

"True crime told by one of the best true crime journalists. Michelle McNamara dives deep into the Golden State Killer’s history with a critical eye and focuses on the victims with a caring and humane eye. Michelle unexpectedly passed away while writing this book, so other true crime journalists and her husband, Patton Oswalt, compiled her notes to finish this incredible summary of some of her life’s work." -- Gillian Sochor, Online learning Instructional Design Center

"The first time I read this book I was blown away by her storytelling and her rawness.  Maya Angelou writes from the heart and when you read her work you can’t help but feel something strong and intensely moving." -- Dr. Kelli Johnson, Access Services and Research and Instruction Services

"Whether you are from Appalachia or are just currently living in it, this non-fiction book about ghost stories, witchcraft, and superstitions would be great for any students who are interested in sociology, history, or just curious about our area’s regional folklore." -- Sarah Mollette, Research and Instruction Services

"Asher Lev, a loner with artistic inclinations, is a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York City.  The book explores conflicting traditions, father vs. son, contentedness with one’s life vs. peace in the family, and the traditional Jewish world vs. secular America." -- Jonathan Sutton, Special Collections

Steven Dunn’s Potted Meat is about a black teenager growing up in rural West Virginia in late 1990s. There's booze, drugs and violence. There's sadness, anger and regret. There's football, racism and grandparents. You know that old adage about how our most personal moments are the most universal? That’s Potted Meat: a deeply personal story about trauma and escape that speaks so clearly you can’t help but see yourself reflected in its fragments.
-- Christopher Hodge, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves

"This is a title that makes you think about your food and why you need to change the composition of your diet!" -- Ron Titus, Research and Instruction Services

"I read this book over the summer and it kept me guessing throughout the entire book. It’s an ominous story about college kids at a prestigious school in the northeastern US who get into some trouble. It’s good if you like that kind of thing." -- Julianna Music, Circulation and Reserves / Research and Instruction Services

"This is a single-volume history of the Tudor dynasty. The book breathes new life into the history of the Tudor family and Tudor England's precarious place in world politics, the critical role played by religion in government, the blossoming of English theatre and literature, and much more."
-- Seth Nichols, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves

"A collection of some of the most fascinating and dire places in West Virginia. If you love to read about the Mothman, the haunted Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, or Bat Boy's cave then this is your kind of tourism. As a life long West Virgianian, I was amazed that many of these places I was unaware of, and found myself unable to put down this collection of tales." -- Seth Nichols, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves

"This book looks at Appalachia through a more diverse lens than many books do. Catte acknowledges that Appalachians are not only straight white folks but are black and indigenous and queer. She comes out swinging against the stereotypes that most people want to reinforce about Appalachia and Appalachians." -- Dr. Kelli Johnson, Access Services and Research and Instruction Services

"I wish someone had recommended this to me in college. We all know at least a few of the big names in economic thought—Smith, Marx, Keynes—but Heilbroner helps you get a sense of their (and other economists’) key ideas, the context in which they arose, and how they shaped the world with this thought-provoking but very readable little book." -- Paul Turner, Drinko Library Circulation and Reserves