Lost in the Stacks

Classicist Mary Beard writes, in two brief essays, about how the voices of powerful women in Western civilization have been suppressed though the years, from ancient times to the present day. She gives examples throughout history, from the ancient Greeks to the present.

Did you know that the month of December is officially designated for learning a second language? Snag a book for break to brush up on your language skills or start learning something completely new!

Birth of the Chess Queen tells the story of the chess queen's evolution from the origins of the game to the present day. The queen was not always part of the game, and when she was first introduced, she was not the powerful piece she is today. Historian Marilyn Yalom discusses how the queen came to be the most powerful piece on the chessboard, and tells the stories of several strong real-life queens in the Middle Ages and Renaissance who influenced the evolution of the chess queen.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Native American authors! The display of books in the Shapiro Lobby this November are all written by Native American authors.

The Winter Ghosts is a beautifully-written novel about a young man whose brother was killed in World War I, who travels in the French Pyrenees in the hope that he will heal his emotional wounds. Stranded in a blizzard, he finds a remote village and meets a young woman who tells him a horrific story of the massacre of a Christian sect in the Middle Ages. But there is more going on than meets the eye. Time travel, ghosts, or the protagonist's imagination? It is up to the reader to decide.

It’s the start of a new school year. Everyone is getting settled into their new routines. I for one have spent most of the past month eating out every day. In an effort to curb this bad habit I decided to check out some cookbooks and try to improve my skills in the kitchen. Now I’m sharing what I found with you all in hopes to inspire more people to become amateur chefs with me.

Feel the fright this Halloween by checking out Undergraduate Library books on horror and film! The display of books in the Shapiro Lobby this October is focused on scary cinema.

In this mystery set in Venice, Commissario Guido Brunetti solves the murder of a young man, the son of one of Venice's noble families, who had been kidnapped two years ago and whose body was found in a field. His family had been involved in shady business dealings in eastern Europe. Was he murdered because of this? Or did his cousin, the new heir to the family business, murder him? As he searches for the murderer, Brunetti also wonders if his wife, Paola, is unhappy in their marriage because he spends too much time on his police work.

As catastrophic floods threaten to devastate Québec, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache finds the body of a murdered, pregnant woman. All the evidence points to her abusive husband as the killer, but there's not enough to convict him, and the woman's grieving father threatens to kill the husband. Meanwhile, Gamache faces damage to his reputation in social media, as a video emerges, seriously misrepresenting the actions which led to his demotion.

Start the semester on the right foot by checking out these books offering helpful guides, advice, and tips for a successful academic year. The September display of Undergraduate Library books in the Shapiro Lobby showcases books to help you whether you are just starting out your college career as an incoming Freshman or advancing as a more-seasoned student pursuing a PhD. The wide variety of college career books in the Undergraduate collection includes something for everyone!