Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and what better time to dive into some short stories for the long weekend. These are satisfying tales in small portions which you could read on your trip home, and that don’t require much commitment. We have numerous short story collections in our Leisure Reading section on the 4th floor for you to choose from, that would be ideal for just such an occasion:
It’s Stress Less Week and we have a number of humor books in our leisure reading collection to help you unwind. So take a moment or two for a little light-hearted reading, you deserve it! Here is a list of just some of the humor books in our collection:
- You’ll grow out of it by Jessi Klein
- Yes please by Amy Poehler
- Dad is fat by Jim Gaffigan
- Food : a love story by Jim Gaffigan
- Calypso by David Sedaris
- Let’s explore diabetes with owls by David Sedaris
- Are you there, vodka? It’s me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
- The world of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington, Stephen Merchant, and Ricky Gervais
- The Road to Little Dribbling : adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson
- Sh*t my dad says by Justin Halpern
- I’m with fatty : losing fifty pounds in fifty miserable weeks by Edward Ugel
- The New Yorker book of doctor cartoons and psychiatrist
- Heart and brain : gut instincts by Nick Seluk
- I feel bad about my neck : and other thoughts on being a woman by Nora Ephron
- Night of the crash-test dummies : a far side collection by Gary Larson
- Can’t we talk about something more pleasant? by Roz Chast
Classics
This summer we’ve expanded our small but ever popular Leisure Reading Classics selection! Classics can be found on the 4th floor of Sackler at the end-cap of Leisure Reading Fiction. Here are some of the titles that have most recently been added to the collection:
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man & Dubliners by James Joyce
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
If there is a classic novel that you’ve always wanted to read and don’t see it on our shelves, please let us know by recommending a purchase.
In honor of Valentine’s day, we put together a few leisure reading recommendations.
If you’re looking for a love story…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/ photo/25852870-eligible
If you enjoyed Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this book is worth checking out. In this modern day retelling of the classic tale, Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties, Jane is a yoga instructor, Mary is working on her third master’s degree, Kitty and Lydia are too busy with crossfit to get jobs and Mrs. Bennet has only one thing on her mind: How to marry off her daughters. Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy, reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo /17802724-the-husband-s-secret
After Big Little Lies hit HBO last year, we’ve had our eye on Liane Moriarty. In the Husband’s Secret, Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/ photo/25041504-after-you
If you haven’t read or seen the movie for Me Before You yet we highly recommend checking it out (and skipping over the rest of this recommendation to avoid spoilers). After You picks up where Me Before You left off, with Lou trying to pick up the pieces after Will’s death. After an accident that leaves her in rough shape, Lou finds herself joining a Moving On support group that takes place in a church basement. The members lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future.
If you’re not looking for a love story…
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

https://www.goodreads.com/book/ photo/386366.Equal_Rites
So you’ve read Harry Potter and you’re obsessed with wizards… give this book a try. When a dying wizard tries to pass on his powers to an eighth son of an eighth son, who is just at that moment being born, he discovers a moment too late that the son is actually a daughter. Now the young girl is forced to penetrate the inner sanctum of the Unseen University–and attempt to save the world with one well-placed kick in some enchanted shins!
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

https://www.goodreads.com/book /photo/20603758-ready-player-one
If you’re looking for an adventure story filled with puzzles and pop culture, this may be the book for you. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

https://www.goodreads.com/book /photo/526104.Four_Blind_Mice
Looking for a good detective novel? Detective Alex Cross is on his way to resign from the Washington, D.C., Police Force when his partner shows up at his door with a case he can’t refuse. One of John Sampson’s oldest friends, from their days in Vietnam, has been arrested for murder. Worse yet, he is subject to the iron hand of the United States Army. The evidence against him is strong enough to send him to the gas chamber but Sampson is certain his friend has been framed.
* Holiday Leisure Reading *
The holiday season is the perfect time for some leisure reading. Whether you need something to read on the plane, train or bus ride home, or if you get to stay in town and rest, there’s plenty here at Hirsh for you to choose from. Make sure to stop by our newly expanded leisure reading section the next time you’re on the 4th floor of the Sackler building. Below are the latest titles to be added to our collection:
FICTION
- In the Midst of Winter : A Novel by Isabel Allende
- Seven Days of Us : A Novel by Francesca Hornak
-
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
-
The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve
- Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda
- The Locals : A Novel by Jonathan Dee
- Fresh Complaint : Stories by Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
NON-FICTION
- Code girls : The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
- Hostage by Guy Delisle
- It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice
- Where the Past Begins : A Writer’s Memoir by Amy Tan
As always, if there’s a book we don’t have that you think we should own, please do let us know by recommending a purchase.

Is it just us or have a lot of books been making appearances on the big screen lately? Rolling Stone just released their 2017 Summer Movie Preview and we couldn’t help but notice that one of Stephen King’s books made the list. On August 4, 2017, The Dark Tower, the first installment of an adaptation of King’s Dark Tower series will hit theaters (Check out the trailer on Youtube). The film is technically a continuation of the novels, but will draw on elements from the The Gunslinger, the first book in the series. Borrow a copy from us and read the book first!
Interested in other movies that were books written by Stephen King? Check out his website for a complete movie list from A to Z.
Summer Leisure Reading
We have had a cold, wet spring season this year, but summer is just around the corner. Whether you’re looking for a novel to take to the beach, or one to accompany you when hiding from the heat, below is a small selection of the latest titles to be added to our Leisure Reading collection. These and many more can be found on the 4th floor of the Sackler building.
The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan
As always, if there’s a book we don’t have that you think we should own, please do let us know by recommending a purchase.
Holiday Leisure Reading
Whether you’re traveling back home or staying in the city for the holidays, this is the perfect time to browse through our Leisure Reading section on the 4th floor of Sackler, and pick up a good book for your holiday break. Here’s a small selection of the most recent titles we’ve added:
The Dust That Falls From Dreams by Louis de Bernières
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
After The Crash by Michel Bussi
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts by Nick Seluk
One More Thing : Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak.
As always, if there’s a book you don’t see on the shelf that you’d like to read or think we should own, please let us know by Recommending a Purchase!
Welcome to our new series in which Hirsh’s favorite puppet, Lizzy, gets to know one of our staff members. Check out the transcript and gifs of the interview with her first victim, er…guest, below!
LIZZY: Hi Fran! Thanks for agreeing to sit down for an interview with me!
First question…what is your name?
FRAN FORET: My name is Fran Foret and…
L: Can I call you Frances?
F: Yes, yes you may call me Frances
L: What do you do at the library?
F: My title is Head of Collections Management and a lot of people think that means I collect money for the library. But what it means is that I spend money for the library to make sure that the library has the resources—books, journals, databases—that we need for our students so they can become the professionals that they need to become. My staff and I work hard to make sure that we have the right materials and that they are accessible to our patrons through our library’s website.
L: That’s great! And what did you do before you came to Hirsh?
F: Before I came to Hirsh, I was the serials librarian at Wheaton College library out in Norton, Massachusetts…
L: Oh! I love cereal! And Wheaties is one of my favorite cereals.
F: …They are very very good…
L: So you’ve been at Hirsh for awhile…
F: Yes, I don’t want to say how many years .
L: So what’s your favorite place in the library?
F: I think my favorite place in the library is probably the 4th floor where we have the Library Service Desk, and where you see our librarians and staff interacting with our users. It’s nice to be down there and see all the activity. And right next to there is the Leisure Reading collection, which is another favorite area.
L: Oh, I don’t have time for that…but maybe I should check it out…
F: Yes, Lizzy, you should check it out!
L: Let’s see…do you have any friends that are puppets?
F: I don’t have any friends that are puppets! And you are the first puppet I have ever spoken to! And I’m wondering, since I don’t have any friends that are puppets, if you would be my friend?
L: That…that would be an honor.
F: That makes me very happy.
L: Well, if we’re going to be friends, I’d like to ask you a few personality questions. What’s your favorite ice cream?
F: Chocolate!
L: How do you like your eggs?
F: I like eggs almost any way, but maybe poached eggs are my favorite.
L: Let’s say, if your neighbor needed an egg, would you let your neighbor come over and borrow an egg?
F: Yes, that would be fine…I’m interested as to why you’re so focused on eggs…
L: Well…I…another question…if your neighbor brought you their own egg, would you crack it for them?
F: Yes…if they asked me to crack and egg for them I guess I would do that.
L: Would you crack this egg?
F: Do you promise me that it’s hard cooked?
F: Well…ok
Are you in a reading rut? Do you need a break from your textbook? The library has recently acquired some new leisure reading books, so swing by our new books section across from the 4th floor library service desk. Here are some of our recently added titles:
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
- Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova
- The Boston Girl: A Novel by Anita Diamant
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
What books did we miss? Let us know what you’d like to see in our collection by recommending a purchase.
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