What did you read over winter break?

Posted on June 15, 2014 by nobles

Welcome back!

Students, faculty and staff share what books, movies and TV shows they read over break. Spoiler alert! The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt was the most popular read. Read on to find out more.

English teacher Sarah Snyder:
Longbourn by Jo Baker “This clever imagining of the servants of the Bennet family from Pride and Prejudice was entertaining.”

Archvist Isa Schaff:
“I was in a mystery mood and wanted something to relax my mind, so I read Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry, one of the latest installments of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, and The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith, the latest book of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I also reread Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (for the umpteen time).”

Art teacher John Dorsey:
“Finally finished 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami—what a behemoth!—but totally worth it. I loved the final chapters.”

Science teacher Muriel Schwinn: “I read (most of) Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. Her metaphors are on fire!”

Dean of Students Kate Ramsdell: Amsterdam by Russell Shorto “I am a nonfiction junkie and happen to have an obsession with Amsterdam, so if you are curious about how social history, art and architecture, politics, city planning, etc. come together in the ‘most liberal city in the world’ then this may be a book for you too.”

Learning Specialist Gia Batty:
“I read Where’d You Go Bernadette? a quick and funny story about losing and finding Bernadette Fox—wife, mother, architect…. It’s pieced together by Bee, a 15 year old, who compiles emails, articles, emergency room receipts to figure out where her mom went… The best part was the inside look into Microsoft (her hubs works there). I started watching ‘Orphan Black’, a BBC America show that focuses on this group of cloned women. The series follows one of them as she tries to figure out where she (they) came from. So good!”

Art teacher Kelsey Grousbeck:
“I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, quick read and lots to think about! I don’t usually love fantasy books, but this one guides you gently into fantasy before getting really weird. It’s like the build up to a huge tsunami of alternate realities. I really enjoyed it. It was great for a four hour plane ride. I also read Nick Offerman’s Paddle Your Own Canoe, full of raunchy life lessons and his slow yet steady rise to fame. It’s based mainly in woodworking and Chicago theatre antics. If you watch ‘Parks and Recreation,’ it’s impossible not to hear his Ron Swanson voice as you read the book, which is a major plus.”

English teacher Chris Burr:
“I read Double Down, the story of the 2012 presidential election.  Amazing to learn how fantastically disorganized and unprepared these political figures are, sometimes in the most critical moments. Same authors wrote Game Change, another eye opening analysis of the 2008 election.  I also read What It Takes—a reflection on what causes ordinary Americans to believe that they are meant to be president.  This is more of a late 80’s profile: Dole, Bush, Gephardt, Biden, Dukakis and Gary Hart. Wonderful but long. I watched ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Netflix. Just watch the first ten minutes of the first episode. If your head is spinning know that you’re not alone. Hang in there. It’s worth it.”

History teacher Don Allard:
Sycamore Row by John Grisham “Classic Grisham tale of southern legal intrigue.”

English teacher Mal Goss:
Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi “This was a powerful and thoughtful book about race and how where you come from changes that point of view.”

Head of School Bob Henderson:
The Rise of Rome by Anthony Everitt “This is a terrific narrative history of Rome from its founding to the crisis of the republic in the period preceding the rise of Julius Ceasar.”

The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly “The latest and best in The Lincoln Lawyer series, this is a highly entertaining and fast-paced legal thriller.”

English teacher Alden Mauck:
“I finished The Bounty by Caroline Alexander, which is quite good. Nonfiction is a break for me because I don’t underline or dog-ear pages; I don’t overthink my reading; and I read for the pleasure of learning something outside of my teaching. In this case, it included the famous standoff of Fletcher Christian and William Bligh, the miraculous survival of Bligh and some of his crew abandoned mid-ocean, the trial of the mutineers, the life and death of Christian on Pitcairn’s Island, and the post Bounty career of Bligh. A little slow at times, but well researched and interesting.”

English teacher Richard Baker:
Pale King by David Foster Wallace “An interesting tale about a fictional character named David Wallace who works in an IRS office, a job which is depicted as stultifyingly boring (I assume a metaphor for modern bureaucratic work).”

Unthinkable by Kenneth Pollock “A nonfiction. A case for containment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, although he considers the advantages and disadvantages of four other options. A very honest assessment.”

The Maid’s Version by Dan Woodrell “A fiction. I think Woodrell has improved as a stylist and I enjoyed his sentences more than the tale itself, which included different attitudes toward an explosion in a dance hall in the ’20s. Lots of Southern (Missouri) Gothic.”

Assistant Controller Rachel Weinstock:
“I read In Revere, In Those Days by Robert Merullo. It’s a beautifully written coming of age story about an Italian-American boy in the ’70s in Revere, Mass. I was touched and I identified with the main character even though my life was nothing like his.”

Receptionist Carol Derderian: “I read a crazy book over break—Whitey Bulger: America’s Most Wanted, The Manhunt to Bring Him to Justice by Kevin Cullen + Shelley Murphy.”

Shirley Hu ’19:
“I watched ‘Bones.’ I was slightly grossed out but also creepily interested.  Solving the cases were really interesting. I also watched Rush Hour. I love this movie. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are hilarious and great actors. The plot is pretty well-developed and surprised me in many ways.

I read Adaptation by Malinda Lo on Overdrive. To my surprise, I really liked this book. It addresses some issues very well and the hidden quirks to each character make them easy to empathize with.”

Maria Maier ’14:
“I read The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse and absolutely loved the book. It’s a novel about a young boy who joins an elite society of intellectuals known for playing a mysterious game called “the glass bead game” that combines disciplines from music to mathematics. As the boy grows up and rises in the ranks of the society, he begins to question all that he has learned and wonders whether or not he should return to the outside world. It was beautiful.”

Library Director Erin Twohig: “I read Angelica Huston’s memoir, A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York. A beautifully written story about Huston’s childhood and early adult life. (I am excited for part two to be published!) I started The Flamethrowers, a novel that takes place in the 1970s about motorcycles and art, but I’m not a big fan just yet. I’m hoping it will win me over soon.”

Information Services and Systems Librarian Talya Sokoll: Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theatre by John Bush Jones “This is an extensive look at the social history of musical theatre, or how what we see on stage does (or does not) reflect what is going on in society. I learned about the creation of many of my favorite shows and why some types of shows were more popular than others in certain decades. A must read for any fan of Broadway.

Collection Management and Technical Services Librarian Emily Tragert: “I had a long drive, so I listened to The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, which I enjoyed immensely. It’s the story of two young people competing in a deadly horse race—but the horses they ride are no ordinary horses: they’re water horses, a vicious, feral breed that comes from the sea.  This book is fantasy, but the author does an amazing job of creating a world that feels real and filling it with characters you can root for (or against!)”

Finally, a number of faculty members read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Here is what they had to say:

“This is such a compelling saga with gorgeous writing, well-worth the commitment of 784 pages.” —Sarah Snyder

“I loved this fun, gripping story and wish it never ended.” —Dan Halperin

“I am about 2/3 through The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (courtesy of Nobles library.) I cannot put it down!” —Jennifer Hamilton

“I loved the underlying story about a boy’s relationship with a painting—or a memory, or his mother—but the author’s description of characters was what kept me glued to the story. I have no idea how Tartt got inside the mind and life of a traumatized teenage boy so well. Though I’m not totally resolved with the ending, I loved this book.” —Lisa Jacobson

“A fabulous, perfect book.