Elizabeth Borah
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Edwards
(Children’s Library PZ7.A5673 Las)

Did you know Dame Julie Andrews of stage and screen is also an accomplished children’s fiction author? Published in 1974 under her married name, this novel is a well-written delight for readers of any age. The book tells the story of three children who encounter a rather odd professor, and through honing their imaginative skills, take a journey to find the last whangdoodle of Whangdoodleland. Written at a grade school level, this makes for an excellent read-aloud book for younger children, as it provides a great deal of fanciful creatures for the reader to embody!

The Anime Encyclopedia : A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy
(Library of Congress NC1766.J3 C53 2011)

Containing brief write-ups on almost every anime series, miniseries, and feature from 1917 to 2006, this encyclopedia might help you find your next favorite show to marathon-watch in 2015. The book also serves to reference predecessors and influences on newer shows, so one can trace the roots of a genre.

Though lacking newer selections, if you’re interested in finding a retro pick, this book is an excellent place to start. A quick review of the plot summary for a series will let one in on how graphic a show is, which parents can reference if they have children watching at home.

Stanley Cushing
The War That Ended Peace: the Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan
(Library of Congress D511 .M257 2013)

This intricate review of the crises and decisions that led to World War I paints a far more complex picture than I imagined. There were so many flawed human beings taking momentous actions without ever really believing that Europe would fall to pieces as a result. So many of the problems being faced today are just continuations of the nationalist hatreds and religious fanaticism that led to the Great War. It is especially sobering to read how ignorant the civilian governments were about the inexorable war plans being produced by their own military establishments.

The Cheapside Hoard: London’s Lost Jewels by Hazel Forsyth
(Library of Congress + NK7309.3 .F67 2013)

Workmen digging foundations in 1912 on the site of London’s old district of goldsmiths’ and jewelers’ shops came upon a large cache of gems and jewelry dating back to the 1600s and earlier. This catalogue of the Museum of London exhibition of this treasure describes the important pieces and speculates on their possible history. The wide diversity of geographical sources for the gems makes plain how extensive were the trade routes that brought gems from around the world to be crafted into intricate jewelry and sold in London. Some of the jewels in this hoard are unique while others were only known by their representations in seventeenth century portraits.

Lena Denis
Tinkers by Paul Harding
(Library of Congress PZ4.H2636 Ti 2009)

Tinkers is a truly wintry book not only in terms of the season over which most of it takes place, but also because it deals with the winter of a life. That may sound really dreary and depressing, but this book is actually a supremely beautiful novel that reflects on the moments and small actions, as well as life-long relationships, that define the world of a family. In particular, the physical world of Tinkers is a beautiful but harsh one. The narrative shifts between modern-day Massachusetts and early twentieth-century rural Maine, where deep frozen forests teach a man and his son profound lessons about themselves, as well as the universe as they see it. If you don’t want to take my word for it, this book also won a Pulitzer.

Coorain Devin
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
(Cutter Classification 65 .K465 .w)

Whether you consider “New Journalism” to be its own distinct genre, there is no denying that The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a great piece of writing. What makes it so brilliant is that the engaging style of prose matches the content, creating a seamless experience. The bright colors and vivid descriptions in this nonfiction book read like fiction. A historically important book, I would recommend it and consider it relevant in 2015.

Will Evans
Strange Meeting by Susan Hill
(Library of Congress PZ4 .H6488 St 1989)

It’s the autumn of 1915. All England speaks of peace before Christmas with conviction. John Hilliard, a British subaltern returns to his unit in France after spending the summer at his home convalescing from a leg wound. Hilliard, while now physically fit, still suffers from the inescapable emotional trauma front-line fighting inflicts. In his absence much of his unit has been killed or wounded and replaced by untried, unsuspecting men. One such recruit is David Barton, a young officer as affable and open as Hilliard is reticent and withdrawn. The two form an intense friendship as Barton slowly becomes initiated in numbing horror of trench warfare. Told in an unsensational manner, Susan Hill’s tale is all the more heartbreaking for its simplicity.

James Kraus
Seize the Day by Saul Bellow
(Library of Congress PZ3.B41937 Se)

Ever feel bombarded by the culture of self-help gurus sagely selling ancient wisdom, advising we take intention-fueled risks in order to achieve real-life miracles while we on Earth contend with abrading real-world setbacks and realities? Saul Bellow’s brilliant and resonant novella, Seize the Day, is a memorable, single-day urban journey in the life of Wilhelm Adler, a man drowning in an ocean of modern problems, on a timetable, taking a great risk, and trusting. Clear, wrenching, and nearly absent of his intellectual posturing, it’s simply Bellow at his best. Be still my cynical heart.

On the Athenæum’s second floor I came across a diminutive literary journal, One Story, that publishes a single story 14 to 16 times a year. Inside was an engaging tale by the author Diane Cook (former producer of NPR’s This American Life). I couldn’t put her story “Dave Santana Meteorologist” down, physically or critically. I’ve just completed her debut short story collection, Man Vs. Nature, that contains the mentioned story among many others. All are eerie, sticky tales that occupy a space between Tom Perrotta’s suburbia and George Saunders’s future vision with simply worded breezy smarts and emotions that’ll get under your skin. If you’re like me, you’ll be telling the world.

Judith Maas
Suspended Sentences by Patrick Modiano
(New Books, Library of Congress PZ4.M6956 Su 2014)

A deserted train platform, an abandoned chateau, a dingy alley lined with street lamps, all in and around Paris: the settings in Patrick Modiano’s novella collection Suspended Sentences are eerie and ominous. This is an alternative Paris, not the fabled city of glamour and romance. In each of these tales, a narrator recalls people, places, and events from his Parisian youth during the 1950s and early 1960s, when war and occupation still cast a long shadow over the city. An enigma lies at the heart of each of the three stories, upon which the narrator conjectures—a reticent photographer; the suspicious activities among a group of adults caring for two brothers; a double suicide. Seeking resolution, he moves back and forth in time, weaving together remembered sights and sounds. The past proves elusive; he recalls fleeting relationships, uncertain identities, the loss of familiar buildings and landmarks.

What drew me into these stories was their pensive mood, aura of mystery, and strong sense of place and atmosphere. Like a painter, Modiano is attentive to weather, season, time of day, the details of rooms and clothing. In exploring the play of memory, he creates images of postwar Paris that are sometimes sharp and vivid, and sometimes strange and dreamlike.

Modiano is the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Amanda McSweeney-Geehan
Boston Noir 2: The Classics
(Library of Congress PS648.N64 B673 2012)

Though they don’t necessarily have to take place this time of year, I always find myself reading more mysteries and noir in the winter. The chilly weather perfectly accentuates the bleak world of the stories. Boston Noir 2: the Classics is a collection of short stories taking place in and around Boston. All the stories are previously published and many of them are excerpts from longer works, including a segment of one of my favorite books, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. There are numerous big-name authors in the collection, including Wallace, Andre Dubus, Robert B. Parker, and Dennis Lehane (who is one of the collection’s editors). Short story collections are a great way to try out a new author or in this case, have something you can dip in and out of while commuting among all the places featured in these stories.

Carolle Morini
They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell
(Library of Congress PZ3.M4518 Th)

Quite a lovely book. Published in 1937. Beautifully written. Not a word out of place. As one reviewer for The Guardian said in 2002, “I shall give no more details—for the simple reason that you will enjoy the book more if you find out for yourself.”

Kaelin Rasmussen
Renegade Revolutionary: The Life of General Charles Lee by Phillip Papas
(Library of Congress CT275.L4216 P36 2014)

A new biography of the largely neglected Charles Lee, an Englishman who joined the Revolution early on as George Washington’s second-in-command. At first the revolutionaries were jubilant, as Lee was an experienced military officer. In the British army, he had fought as a young lieutenant in the French and Indian Wars, where he gained a healthy respect for the American way of fighting, and he had seen action in Europe that imbued him with a strong sense of justice and an abhorrence for tyrannical rulers. He was also a dog person, and his pet Pomeranian, Spado, was often seen sharing his saddle! On the personal side, however, he was an eighteenth-century “eccentric”: he had a sharp temper, bad manners, was outspoken to a fault, and craved attention and personal glory. These traits led to a clash of wills with Washington, and a court martial that ended his military career. I enjoyed Phillip Papas’s treatment of Lee’s life because it is both sympathetic and rigorously researched, with generous quotations from primary sources. Perhaps most interesting is the way Lee himself viewed his eventual downfall, that is, as a direct result of his refusal to deify Washington as others had done. Any opposition to Washington does seem sacrilegious, especially within the walls of the Athenæum, but Papas’s book is still a good read!

Anthea Reilly
Fordlandiaby Greg Grandin
(Library of Congress F2651.F55 G72 2009)

Fascinating account of Ford’s failed attempt at growing his own rubber in the Amazon at a community called Fordlandia.

Also worth checking out, Georges Simenon’s Maigret novels. He is one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, and quite addictive. Good winter reading.

Suzanne Terry
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
(Children’s Library PZ7.C7878 Dar 2002)

The dead of winter is the best time to read this classic fantasy about an eleven-year-old boy who discovers that his destiny is to lead the forces of Light against the Dark. Incorporating Celtic and Arthurian mythology, it is an evocative adventure in the wintry forests of England.

Deborah Vernon
Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten
(Library of Congress + TX714 .G363 2006)

I adore the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. Ina Garten’s recipes are a happy fusion of the fresh, sparkling flavors of the Mediterranean and the butter-friendly comfort food of Europe. Some of the recipes take minutes to create while others need to braise in the oven for six hours. The common theme is that they are all delicious.

I have just about all of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, but the one I use with the most frequency is her At Home cookbook. I love it because it is one of her “freshest” cookbooks in that it features lots of fruits and vegetables, zesty soups, grilled meats, etc. To be fair, it is a cookbook best suited to the summer in terms of ingredients. However, after all of the rich holiday foods, I find myself turning to her pesto pea salad, Asian salmon, and garlicky broccoli rabe. If you need a break from the chowders, roast beef, and hot chocolate, I can’t recommend a better alternative. And if you don’t need a break, have no fear—her seafood gratin and classic coconut cake are there for you. An added surprise of this book is that many of her recipes are vegan and allergen friendly, such as the dairy-free Ultimate Ginger Cookies or the vegan and gluten-free Guacamole Salad. Check this one out and try a recipe or two—I guarantee your taste buds shan’t be disappointed!

Mary Warnement
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
(Library of Congress F3429.1.M3 A43 2011)

This has been on my reading list for three years, though on my shelf only since appearing in paperback. While I read it on the subway, a man next to me praised the book before asking, “you’re reading it just now?” Books have the advantage of never spoiling.

Do I trust Mark Adams to have researched Peru’s history and represented it accurately? I think so. History isn’t simply for the specialists, who often write on such obscure topics that the average reader cannot connect. Adams certainly delved into the scholarly bibliography, but his contacts were independent scholars, many of them adventure guides or adventurers who have become interested (some may say obsessed) with the ruins at Machu Picchu. Would I want to hike through the Andes to see these many archæological sites? No, I am not even a “martini explorer,” as the guide John Leivers described Hiram Bingham III, who “discovered” Machu Picchu in 1911.

One question, among many, remained for me, but this is a frivolous one: what does his title mean? Is it simply referencing the notion of walking there by citing a direction? Or what? Recommended for readers who enjoy history, biography, archæology, travel, and current events.

Alexandra Winzeler
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
(Library of Congress HV6248.M8 L37 2003)

I applaud Erik Larson’s work to keep this book as true to historical events as possible. He goes so far to note that anything in quotation marks comes directly from a firsthand source, an unbelievable task given the subject matter of the story. Follow the team of ambitious architects tasked with out-doing the Eiffel Towel at the Chicago World’s Fair; despair in the seemingly insurmountable odds that slow their progress and revel in their impossibly large successes. Beyond the dramas and egos of the artists, architects, and politicians, there lurks a darker character: a charming, deceitful serial killer finding great success in the mess of a dense and complicated, up-and-coming city. A fascinating read for insight into the goings-on of one of America’s first serial killers, as well as a stunning look behind the curtain of the World’s Fair, and a glimpse into the realistic day-to-day of historical Chicago.

Emily Anderson

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe

(to be cataloged)

Sometimes one requires answers to questions such as: what would happen if everyone on earth aimed laser pointers at the moon?; or, could a person really live on a small but super-massive asteroid like The Little Prince? Answers to these and many other important questions can be found in What If?, but a lot of fun is also had with the unanswered questions—those the author deemed too “weird (and worrying)” for response. Randall Munroe is the creator of the popular webcomic xkcd, and has been responding to What If?questions on a blog with the same title for the past two years. This is his second book.

Kristin Cook

Middlemarchby George Eliot

(Library of Congress Classification PZ3.E43 Mi 1912)

Middlemarchfeels like the quintessential autumn book to me. Maybe because I first read it in the fall, maybe because of the gloamy English small-town setting, or perhaps because it’s such a hefty tome that one feels like curling up with by a fire or in a window seat as the chilly November rain pours down. Middlemarch is a book I always recommend if someone wants to delve into “literature” but wants to have a good time. A complex tale of individuals and how they are shaped by the expectations of their community—and how they shape each other—at a time when society was changing, Middlemarch is full of subtle irony and, perhaps surprisingly, suspense: will everyone be miserable after making decisions they were sure would make them happy? Or is there yet hope? For fans of anything BBC-related, though less soap-operatic than it might seem, Virginia Woolf famously remarked that Middlemarch is “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.”

Stanley Cushing

When Paris Went Dark: the City of Light under German Occupation, 1940–44 by Ronald C. Rosbottom

(Library of Congress DC737 .R67 2014)

This account of life in Paris during the German Occupation is nuanced and sobering. It surprised me to learn that the Paris police force was responsible for the actual round up and deportation of all the Jews they could find to send to concentration camps. Having just been in Paris I was shocked to realize that the Nazis had taken over the hotel where I stayed and used it to house their officers. This book makes it very clear that the citizens of Paris were worn down by the numerous regulations, curfews, and deprivations. The varieties of accommodations made by the populace to survive still continue to be a source of pride and regret.

David Dearinger

Longbournby Jo Baker

(Library of Congress PZ4.B1685 Lo 2013)

We all know about prequels and sequels, whether based on older movies, novels, or political candidates. In literature, these are often written by someone other than the author of the original work; at times, this has led to the victimization or unnecessary exploitation of classics. Think, for example, of the various attempts to improve upon Margaret Mitchell’s never-to-be-matched Gone with the Wind(e.g., Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett or Donald McCaig’s Rhett Butler’s People). Sad. But with a sequel extending a narrative’s time-line into the future and a prequel looking to the past, what do we call a book that has a plot that occurs at exactly the same time as a previously told tale? Whatever the term might be, the best book of this unusual type that I’ve encountered is Jo Bell’s wonderful Longbourn, published exactly 200 years after the novel on which it is based, in 2013. Fans of British literature in general will immediately identify that predecessor: the title of Baker’s book is that of the home of the family of Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.The plot of Longbourn, the book, in fact, uses the plot of Austen’s famous novel as its armature; but for Baker, the focus is a housemaid named Sarah, who is a member of one of the small group of servants who work below-stairs at Longbourn. Like Elizabeth Bennett, Sarah’s smart and feisty character makes her worth knowing, and her story is worth telling: exciting in its structure, human in its emotion, and readable in every way. A perfect book to consume while waiting for the next season of Downton Abbey.

Coorain Devin

Carsickby John Waters

(Library of Congress PN1998.3.W38 A3 2014)

The latest book from master of trash cinema, John Waters, will delight old fans—the man has done nothing to clean up his act. Readers who have not experienced Waters or have only seen his popular Hairspray may want to stick with something a little less vulgar. That said, Carsick delivers what it promises—a fun twist on the road novel.

Will Evans

The Surprise of Cremona by Edith Templeton

(Cutter, AI .T246)

Templeton, a British fiction writer, here provides a travelogue of her journey through Northern Italy in the early 1950s. Thoughtful and funny, she also carries a bit of the imperiousness of her native country to the continent, as she makes her way from Cremona to Arezzo, offering crisp, witty pronouncements on Italian art, food, and men.

Adriene Galindo

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

(Children’s Library PZ7.L578345 El 1997)

Ella Enchanted is a twist on a classic fairy tale, featuring a free-spirited Cinderella and an empowering message. A delightful book for teens or for families to read together, Ella is the heroine of her own story and is sure to win over the hearts of all who meet her. Enjoy the book first and then compare it to the movie adaptation with the whole family.

Evan Knight

Wise Blood, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and The Violent Bear It Away, all by Flannery O’Connor

(Library of Congress PZ4.O183 Wi, PZ4.O183 Go, and PZ4.O183 Vi, respectively)

I just finished reading Flannery O’Connor’s first short novel from 1952, Wise Blood, and a 1955 short story compilation of hers, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, and Other Stories. I’m just starting her 1960 novel The Violent Bear it Away, and it seems to be in the same mold as the others: compelling prose that invigorates stories of personal triumph or tragedy, city versus country life, religious frailty, and of course, death, in the post-war South.

Amanda McSweeney

Fangirlby Rainbow Rowell

(Children’s Library PZ7.R79613 Fan 2013)

With the school year in full swing, it’s a good time to read a story set on a college campus. It’s Cath’s freshman year and she’s feeling extremely out of place. With a delicate father, a gruff roommate, and awkward interactions with several cute classmates to worry about, she really only finds comfort in her familiar Simon Snow fan fiction. But her twin sister is urging her to branch out and maybe she isn’t entirely wrong to do so. Rainbow Rowell manages to capture all the uncertainties of college, from living off protein bars because you can’t find the dining hall to larger concerns like worrying about the family you left behind. With excerpts from the fictional Simon Snow novels and characters you’ll want to befriend yourself, Fangirl is perfect for anybody looking forward to (or back on) their own college years.

Carolle Morini

A Hilltop on the Marne by Mildred Aldrich

(Cutter 8A97 .M34 .a 1915)

Has the exhibition Over Here: World War I Posters from Around the World piqued your interest for reading personal accounts? If so, A Hilltop on the Marne, by Mildred Aldrich (who grew up in Boston) is just for you. Her account begins on June 3, 1914, where she writes to say she has completed her move to Huiry and is at peace to retire and be buried there. On August 3, 1914 she writes to say that war has been declared. What follows is her unbelievable account of the war from her hilltop. Aldrich writes beautifully and intimately. Her style draws you right into her salon where she penned these letters and has you joining her for morning coffee by her pear tree. It helps, too, that she loved books. August 10, 1914 she writes: “I have your cable asking me to come ‘home’ as you call it. Alas, my home is where my books are—they are here. Thanks all the same.”

Anthea Reilly

My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name,and Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, all by Elena Ferrante

(Library of Congress PZ4.F356 My 2012, PZ4.F356 St 2013, and PZ4.F356 Th 2014, respectively)

These novels trace the friendship between two headstrong Italian Neapolitan women from their school days in the 1950s to the present day. Entertaining with a great sense of place and time. 

Graham Skinner

Three novels by Sjón, translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

(to be cataloged)

With the publication of these novels, the Icelandic myth-maker Sjón makes a grand American debut expertly blending surrealism, scientific reasoning, fable, magical realism, myth and history into captivating giants of prose. From the Mouth of the Whale is a rich, delightful, and surreal saga set between 1635 and 1639, exploring the all-consuming hunger for knowledge, scientific curiosity, the natural world, psychological realities, and the dark sides of humanity. The novel is mesmerizing, humorous, terrifying, and a lyrical masterpiece. A slender volume, The Blue Fox, reads more as a prose poem that’s part fairy tale and part mystery. Backed by the Icelandic winter, The Blue Fox intertwines two stories: that of a priest-hunter hunting the elusive, magical, and somewhat demonic blue fox, and the story of a naturalist mourning the death of his charge. It is a quick and absolute delight, a symphony of prose. The Whispering Muse artfully blends the fantastic with the dull, retelling the story of Jason and the Argonauts’ mythical quest for the Golden Fleece and that of the launch of the Danish cargo ship, the MS Elizabet Jung-Olsen in 1949. The fantastic is embodied in Caeneus, the mythical hero and myth-teller, and the dull is embodied in Haraldsson, the man obsessed with his research on the influence of fish consumption on the Nordic people. Odd and fantastical, this novel plays out brilliantly.

Deborah Vernon

Drawings by C. D. Gibson

(Library of Congress + NC1075 .G4 1898)

I stumbled upon this book while shelving in the Art Department. I don’t know why it caught my attention, exactly—perhaps it was the romance of its appearance: tea-dipped, smoothed by palms and thumbs, precious as an artist’s portfolio. Inside were pen and ink drawings of men and women in Edwardian dress. Some of the illustrations were satirical in nature—such as those mocking the matrimony of a youthful heiress with an aged aristocrat—while others were sorrowful. I was struck by one drawing in particular entitled “Love Will Die.” In it, a man and woman mourn separately while the emblem of their love—a young child—lies in death upon an altar between them. Curious to learn more, I asked David Dearinger, the Athenӕum’s Susan Morse Hilles Curator of Paintings & Sculpture & Director of Exhibitions, if he knew the artist in question, a one C. D. Gibson. David knew a lot. Apparently, C. D. Gibson was one of the most well-known graphic artists at the turn of the 20^th century. He created the “Gibson Girl,” an icon of the young and beautiful American woman. Although problematic in ways, Gibson used this figure to address the corrupted values of American and European society. He namely critiqued the “ill-mated pairs,” or marriages, that were determined by economic factors rather than love or affection. Gibson’s works were influential and appeared in magazines, newspapers, and books. His drawings would also be a source of inspiration for subsequent graphic artists, such as Norman Rockwell. For my part, I feel lucky to have peeked into this volume to discover a world that was heretofore unknown to me. Even if Gibson’s works are already known to you, I would recommend inspecting this book. It’s worth it.

Mary Warnement

Pleasured by Philip Hensher
(Library of Congress Classification PZ4.H5235 Pl 1998)

Commemorating the 20^th anniversary, the Guardian listed Hensher’s novel as one of the top ten books on the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Opening on New Year’s Eve 1988, readers meet the protagonist Friedrich, a 90s slacker, on the road returning from West Germany to West Berlin with a young woman and the British ex-pat driver Peter who has agreed to give them a ride. The car breaks down in the section of the book called Kaputt, and the plot takes turns that could seem madcap, as when Friedrich decides to attempt a con in which he will overthrow the government by distributing ecstasy for free to East Berliners; however, the two final sections of the book, Genug(Enough) and Reichskristallnact (Empire’s Night of Broken Glass) show that behind the depiction of Berlin’s youthful sub-culture there is a consideration of German history, humanity’s impatience and tendency to excuse its worst self, and the role of painkillers, pharmaceutical and otherwise, to deal with life, stories, and death.

Alexandra Winzeler

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

(Library of Congress PZ4.M1235 Ro 2006)

I reread this book about once a year when the weather really starts to get cold. It is the bleak survival story of a man and his son in a post-apocalyptic winter, and McCarthy’s only science-fiction-like book. There is a satisfying combination of immediate and tense action sequences with more abstract poetic language as the characters make their dangerous journey to the coast.  While not a warm winter pick-me-up of a book, The Road highlights all things beautiful and terrible in both nature and humanity and builds a compelling plot you will not be able to put down.