Bibliotherapy: Fall Favorites
What's a better time to read than cozy autumn in the Pacific Northwest? Reed's librarians give their recommendations for fall reading.
School's back in. The geese have returned to terrorize the Great Lawn and all its loungers. The canyon is transforming from a green playground to an orange and red wonderland. And now is the perfect time to settle into the library, a blanketed Adinrondack, or Paradox Café and read a good, fall book.
In this edition of Bibliotherapy, Reed's librarians give their autumnal reading recommendations, from mystery and fantasy to poetry and horror. As always, you can find each of their picks tucked away in the Pollock Room on the first floor.
Kristina Vela Bisbee, Director of Collection Services
The Rain Artist by Claire Rudy Foster ’06
Foster’s sense of place stretches out and into the future while firmly planting her characters’ motivations in familiar socioeconomic critiques of the present day. Mixed with a dash of dystopic fantasy, this novel brought me back to wandering the Flower District of Manhattan at all hours, and the fantastic stories hidden among its residents.
Why it's a great fall read: It’s easy to take for granted the gray and misty weather that shapes the local landscape. In a world where rain is a luxury commodity, The Rain Artist is a call to both the well-worn and brand-new residents of the Pacific Northwest: Appreciate what we have, in all its deceptively pensive glory.
A book best read: Curled up in the Pollock Room with a cup of tea and the quiet tap of real raindrops against the glass.
Chloë Van Stralendorff, Visual Resources Curator
It Starts with Anger: A Punk Beginning. An AfroPunk Ending. by James Spooner
This one hit me right in the coming-of-age feels. It’s a graphic memoir with an impactful theme of finding yourself. James Spooner tells his story of what led him to creating the documentary film Afro-Punk while sharing his experience of finding community as a person of color in the punk scene.
Why it's a great fall read: When the trees start changing and you’re in need of community, pick up the MRC x Library Book Club pick for the season and mark your calendars for James Spooner's author talk on campus, Monday, November 9, from 3 to 4 p.m.
A book best read: When you’re feeling lonely and need a reminder that your people are out there somewhere. Let the visuals pull you in and curl up with this award-winning author's new book in your dorm on a cozy fall day.
Kyle Napoli, Electronic Resources Librarian
The Way It Is: New & Selected Poems by William Stafford
I find these poems sharp and clear, each one sort of rings like a deep bronze bell. For a lot of years, I kept my personal copy next to my bed so I could always dip into it when I needed a little something that would take me out of my own perspective.
I recommend it because . . . When cool, grey drizzle comes around, you need something of substance, but when your semester is super busy, you don’t want too much of it.
A book best read: When you’re a little melancholy because you’re awake too early or you’re awake too late.
Caleah James, Performing Arts Librarian
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Wilder Girls is just one of the horror novels written by a woman/nonbinary author that we are featuring in our new fall exhibit "Oh The Horror!" This book is a perfect mix of mystery, survival, friendship and body horror. The book is set on an isolated island, in a private isolated school surrounded by woods and cut off from the world by an infection that envelops the students one by one.
I was craving a spooky atmosphere with mystery and horror during the summer and this is the perfect introduction to feeling like the spooky season is beginning. It's creepy, feminist and survivalist with themes of environmentists and teenage angst.
Why it's a great fall read: Part Lord of the Flies, part Yellowjackets, this is the perfect “back to school” read and spooky-time pleasure.
A book best read: On a bench or chair enveloped in a blanket in the Canyon.
Carly Lamphere, Science Librarian
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors and this is at the top of her body of work. It has the perfect balance of thriller, mystery, and spooky vibes. She uses a lot of Mexican folklore which made me feel like I was a kid again listening to scary stories at sleepovers and parties. I had to ration my reading sessions because I could have easily read it all in one sitting!
Why it's a great fall read: It's a multigenerational witch story set amongst the backdrop of a fancy ivy league college with a graduate student writing her thesis on the history of horror literature as the protagonist. Perfect for that back to school and Halloween season!
A book best read: When you’re in need of a study break to clear your head and settle into some cozy fall season vibes.