Millions of people across the country visit their libraries every week. What’s the draw? Everything. National Library Week takes place from April 6 to 12 and is a perfect time to explore everything the ASU Library has to offer. Looking for your next read? Below you will find a selection of books loved by ASU Library staff that never fail to draw us in. Enjoy and happy reading!
“The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia Chronicles)” by C.S. Lewis
I had always loved reading as a kid but fell in love with fantasy/sci-fi starting with this series and it made me an even more avid reader once I found the genre that resonated with me.
-Jewel Clark, Communications and Web Services
“Bastard Out of Carolina” by Dorothy Allison
This book kicked me in the gut with its harrowing plot and beautiful writing, but it inspired my return back to leisure reading after finishing graduate school.
-Corie Cisco, Open Stacks, Collection Services and Analysis
“Little Bear” by Else Holmelund Minarik (author) and Maurice Sendak (illustrator)
When I was quite young, someone gifted me a membership in the "I Can Read" book club and I fondly remember how enchanted I was with both the stories and the illustrations in the Little Bear series.
-Karen Grondin, Licensed Collections
“The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation” by Isaac Asimov
Love the Encyclopedists, tasked with creating "a compendium of all human knowledge." I first read these books probably forty years ago and it kicked off my love of science fiction and learning about how humanity and human societies function while reading about fictional worlds.
-Joyce Martin, Social Sciences Division
“Spindle's End” by Robin McKinley
Based on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, it is a wonderfully realized fantasy world with an engaging cast of characters that I choose to revisit often.
-Kim Moore, Acquisitions and Accounting
“Just For The Summer” by Abby Jimenez
This book shares how love isn’t about the big, monumental things but about the every day, mundane things in life that make a relationship meaningful.
-Johanna Rodriguez, ASU FIDM Library
“Finding the Mother Tree” by Suzanne Simard
Learning about the cooperation of trees and how they communicate is a draw in itself.
-Christina Sullivan, Naturespace
“The Paranormal Ranger” by Stanley Milford Jr.
This is an autobiography about a Navajo Police Ranger who investigated incidents from tribal community members who experienced unnexplainable occurences, from Big Foot to Alien sightings.
-Yitazba Largo-Anderson, Labriola National American Indian Data Center
“Betsy-Tacy” series by Maude Hart Lovelace
This lesser-known children's series follows the life of aspiring authoress Betsy Ray from her fifth birthday until as an adult she watches her husband go off to fight in WWI, despite being written in the fifties and taking place over a hundred years ago, Betsy and her life feel relatable and timeless. The books grow up with the reader, as the first book is written in a style appropriate to a five or six year old and the books get longer and more complex as the main character ages and becomes an adult. These books continue to draw me in after re reading them for thirty years because Betsy always feels more like an old friend then a fictional character.
-Patricia Gopalan, Distinctive Collections
“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
A compact and fun read that lets your mind adventure the cosmos!
-Jonathan Wilcox, Preservation Services
“Chain-Gang All Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
I was in the midst of a two-year reading drought and this novel, bridging plot-driven dystopian fiction with incisive commentary on the prison-industrial complex, helped shock me out of it.
-Matt Ogborn, E-Learning and Instruction
“Recitatif” by Toni Morrison
This short story spans across time periods to explore the relationship between two women, painting interesting themes about race, prejudice, and disability.
-Sierra Schuman, E-Learning and Instruction
“The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster
As a kid this book was delightful! It launched my love of literacy, linguistics, and logophilia. It is wonderfully imaginative, playful, and clever.
-Shannon Walker, University Archives
“Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech
Sharon Creech is astounding at writing sophisticated depth for young readers. The morals in her stories are timeless and captivating. I've given this book out many times as a gift and own it in the non-English languages I study. I never get tired of it.
-Chad Deets, Acquisitions and Metadata
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera
This novel deals with everything that matters, in a spare, philosophical, humane style that has never been equalled.
-Timothy Provenzano, Digital Collections and Curation
“Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
What stays with me after so many reads is the way the lyrical prose and Patroclus’s gaze turn Achilles from a legend into someone both mythic and deeply human.
-Jacob Robertson, Public Services
“Amazing Days of Abby Hayes” by Anne Mazer
When I learned to read, “The Amazing Days of Abbey Hayes” was the first book series I read for pleasure, and my passion for reading and writing has only grown since then.
Jessica Jenner, E-Learning and Instruction
“The Private Eye” by Brian K. Vaughan
Sometimes you just need a good hyperreality graphic novel where privacy, cosplay and fashion merge.
-Joel Smalley, Acquisitions and Metadata
“All the Sinners Bleed” by S.A. Cosby
This book saved me from my reading rut last year. S.A. Cosby created a chilling and compelling world in one of the best crime thrillers I've ever read.
-Janelle Nash, Government Information
“The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. Le Guin
I love this book because it is an exploration of what it could mean to embody a protracted liberatory struggle, to remain critical of even a utopian society, to assert that the revolution is ongoing!
-Max, Public Services
“Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut
I found this book and high school and the humor, set in-between the tragic events, helped me to grasp the importance of satire.
-Michael Sepulveda, Public Services
“It's Kind of A Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini
I discovered this book when I was dealing with some mental health issues and felt this book helped me make sense of what I was dealing with at the time.
-Ronda Sepulveda, Bibliographic and Serials Maintenance
“The Series of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket
This series sparked my love for reading with its unique character development and absurd world building!
-Leela Denver, E-Learning and Instruction
“The Odyssey” by Homer
A literal classic for many good reasons! I love Penelope's devotion and how her story wraps up at the end, but I admit that Odysseus's numerous adventures never fail to grab my attention.
-Cami Garland, Humanities
“My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante
This book series is an excellent story and reignited my love for reading. It follows the friendship of two women in Naples, Italy, and I found that focus so refreshing and unlike anything I had ever read.
-Leah Terry, Public Services
“Eragon” by Christopher Paolini
Eragon is the first book in the awesome high fantasy series The Inheritance Cycle, it has everything from dragons to a really unique magic system!
-McKayla Morgan, Public Services
“Spiderwick Chronicles” by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
When I was in second grade my mom paid me $20 to put down the controller and pick up a book for once, and I think she got her money's worth! This was the first book series I ever finished, and did a lot to fuel my imagination and added a sense of whimsy to the natural world.
-Benjamin Turensky, Resource Sharing
“All Systems Red” by Martha Wells
Murderbot, who just wants to be left alone and watch its tv shows, is extremely relatable.
-Karalyn Ostler, STEM Division
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
This book drew me into the world of reading through the story of love and sisterhood!
-Sabrina Ortiz,Public Services
“Ghost World” by Daniel Clowes
Ghost World sparked my love for graphic novels when I was 15, the illustration style and witty main character drew me in right away. Thanks to Clowes, I continue to explore and appreciate graphic novels!
-Jasmine Torrez, Community-Driven Archives Initiative
“Berserk Volume 8” by Kentaro Miura
There's a full illustration towards the end of the volume with no words yet Miura illustrated it so well that you can feel the tense mood of the scene between the two characters, art plus a story.
-Jonathan Wilcox, Preservation Services
“The Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston
This was my first romantic, paranormal fiction novel and it was so interesting! This story contains time jumping between past, present, and future with moments of grief and other complex emotions when dealing with loss of a loved one. Cried happy and sad tears!! Definitely recommend if you're looking for something romantic in a new genre! 4/5 stars!
-Zoe K. Mendez, Public Services
“Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery
Anne experiences life in such an imaginative and sincere way, bringing wonder to those around her.
Marcia Henley, Acquisitions
“His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman
This fantasy trilogy set in parallel worlds captivated me as a young adult, and I continue to read these books every few years.
-Marilyn Murphy, Communications and Web Services
“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
This is a stunning work of science fiction! At no point could I predict where this would go, and I was locked in during the whole ride.
-Christina Peck, Communications and Web Services
“Bloodchild and Other Stories” by Octavia E. Butler
A perfect combination of sci-fi, short story writing, and author commentary makes for a compelling read!
-Sierra Schuman, E-Learning and Instruction