By Allyson Mower, head of scholarly communication & copyright, Marriott Library
What does the U community like to read outside of class and work?
As it turns out, mostly non-fiction. Some of the most popular books checked out from J. Willard Marriott Library in 2017 (excluding course reserves) include “The Puzzle Mountain” by Gyles Brandreth, “The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism” by Matthew Kapstein and “Human Origins” by Robert Jurmain. Popular fiction titles include “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard, and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” by Stieg Larsson. I’ve read only two of the books on this list—“The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” Obviously, I need to broaden my horizons when it comes to brain teasers, religious studies, anthropological history and fantasy for National Read a Book Day. If it’s not already checked out, I think I’ll go for “The Puzzle Mountain.”
If you need other ideas to celebrate the National Read a Book Day on Sept. 6, here is a list of books I’ve recently read and would recommend:
“Scars of Independence” by Holger Hoock
“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
“The Secret Chord” by Geraldine Brooks
“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders
“Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson
“Wild Sheep Chase” by Haruki Murakami
“Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson
Marriott Library supports reading and thinking of all kinds and National Read a Book Day serves as a kick-off to our new community awareness campaign centered on the social and intellectual role of librarians and libraries. We want the U community as well as other Utahns we serve to know libraries function as dedicated, safe spaces for reading, thinking, exploring, creating, connecting and understanding.
Do you use the library to read and think? If so, tell us with the hashtag #readtothink. And tell us what type of books you’d like to read as a community. Later this fall, we’ll be launching extracurricular reading clubs based on selections recommended by the campus community.