{"id":5301,"date":"2026-03-05T15:55:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/?p=5301"},"modified":"2026-03-12T08:53:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:53:28","slug":"book-reviews-for-you-faculty-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/2026\/03\/book-reviews-for-you-faculty-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Reviews for You \u2013 Faculty Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the creation of our successful Leisure Collection, there are several book titles in the University Libraries collection that are available for personal knowledge building and learning enjoyment. We are presenting a regular series of recommendations based on the reactions of our library faculty . . .<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5312\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/gideon.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"181\" height=\"279\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Gideon the Ninth<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0<\/em>(New Zealand: Tor Books, 2019) by Tamsyn Muir is a weird story for weird people. A perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy, it explores the (attempted) escape off of the Ninth House &#8211; a planet &#8211; by Gideon Nav, and her subsequent (forced) recruitment into becoming her sworn enemy&#8217;s cavalier, aka sword bearer,\u00a0Harrowhark Nonagesimus, princess of the Ninth House and skilled and powerful necromancer. The story revolves around these two enemies, begrudgingly teaming up together so Harrow can (hopefully) become a new Lyctor &#8211; or an immortal, ascended necromancer\u2014for His Celestial Kindliness,\u00a0the First Reborn, the Necrolord Prime. But there&#8217;s more to becoming Lyctor than it seems&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>This is a book full of mystery, humor, and sapphic love. If you enjoy laughing at terrible nicknames, dialogue full of hilariously placed memes and references, and\u00a0<em>huge character lists\u00a0<\/em>(seriously, huge), this is the book for you. And once you&#8217;re done with\u00a0<em>Gideon the Ninth<\/em>, rest assured, there&#8217;s more to the Locked Tomb series! You&#8217;ll have\u00a0<em>Harrow the Ninth\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Nona the Ninth<\/em>\u00a0to look forward to next, and then eventually the long-awaited\u00a0<em>Alecto the Ninth.\u00a0<\/em>Grab all three books in the series from our Leisure Collection next time you&#8217;re in Walsh Library!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maria Barca, Assistant Professor &amp; Librarian, Coordinator of Instruction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/shu.locate.ebsco.com\/browse\/call-numbers?search=PR9639.4.M84%20L63%20v.1\">PR9639.4.M84<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5316\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"145\" height=\"216\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Harrow the Ninth<\/em><\/strong>, (New York: Tor Books, 2020) by Tamsyn Muir. While I liked <i>Gideon the Ninth, <\/i>I <i>loved Harrow the Ninth.<\/i> In my experience, it is unusual for books in a series to be very different from each other but hold together so well, and that is something Tamsyn Muir is fantastic at as a writer. <i>Harrow the Ninth<\/i> covers completely new ground in the story but also makes the reader question what they learned in the first book. I, for one, was inspired to reread <i>Gideon <\/i>immediately after finishing <i>Harrow. <\/i>Muir plays with some of my favorite literary conventions, particularly the unreliable narrator, and sprinkles pop culture references and literary allusions throughout the narrative as you try to piece together what the narrator isn\u2019t telling you. All of this, along with a sharp sense of humor and devastating emotional beats, are why I knew I had to recommend <i>Harrow the Ninth <\/i>in particular,<i> <\/i>even though it\u2019s a sequel.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Hapke, Collections Manager for Special Collections<\/p>\n<p><strong>Call Number: <a href=\"https:\/\/shu.locate.ebsco.com\/instances\/da0b9587-1758-5a37-a571-329614bf20ee?option=keyword&amp;pageNumber=1&amp;query=PR9639.4.M84&amp;recordsPerPage=25\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">PR9639.4.M84<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5304\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"276\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0(<\/em>Boston: Mariner Books, 2022) by Jeff Pearlman is required reading for anyone who loves sports and a good read! Drawing on more than 700 interviews, author Jeff Pearlman vividly captures Bo Jackson\u2019s mythic life and amazing accomplishments. This biography is great fun and at times laugh out loud funny. And as a bonus, you can learn why\u00a0<em>ESPN<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>USA Today<\/em>\u00a0called Jackson \u201cthe greatest video game athlete of all time.\u201d Highly recommended!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gerry Shea, Associate Professor &amp; Communications Librarian<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/shu.locate.ebsco.com\/browse\/call-numbers?search=GV865.J28%20P43%202022\">GV865.J28 P43 2022<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Additional highly recommended books include the following titles listed by faculty individual members and their location within the Leisure Collection housed on the Second Floor of Walsh Library . . .<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5311\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"129\" height=\"194\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Megan Cohen. <strong><em>Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening<\/em><\/strong>, (Minneapolis, MN: Graywolf Press, 2025) by Ben Ratliff. <strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\">ML423.R24 A3<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5310\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"207\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ryan Fino. <strong><em>Words of Radiance<\/em><\/strong>, (New York: Tor Books, 2014) by Brandon Sanderson.<strong> Call Number:<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><strong> PS3619.A533 S767 v.2<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5309\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/Faculty-pix.3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"138\" height=\"208\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gabriela Haas. <strong><em>Normal People<\/em><\/strong>, (New York: Crown Publishing, 2019) by Sally Rooney<strong>. Call Number:<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><strong> PR65118.O59 N<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5308\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"137\" height=\"212\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jenna Leis. <strong><em>The Kaiju Preservation Society<\/em><\/strong>, (New York: Tor Books, 2022) by John Scalzi. <strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\">PS3619.C256 K35 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5306\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"133\" height=\"192\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Brandon Moye. <strong><em>The Big Sleep<\/em><\/strong>, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1939 later editions published in 2021) by Raymond Chandler. <strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\">PS3505.H322<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5307\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/files\/2026\/03\/faculty-pix-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"140\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Martha Slomczewski. <strong><em>The Red Tent<\/em><\/strong>, (London, UK: Picador Press, 2017) by Anita Diamant. <strong>Call Number: <span style=\"color: #0000ff\">PS3554.I227 R<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For additional information please feel free to contact us via e-mail on the <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><strong><u>University Libraries<\/u><\/strong><\/span> Homepage.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the creation of our successful Leisure Collection, there are several book titles in the University Libraries collection that are available for personal knowledge building and learning enjoyment. We are presenting a regular series of recommendations based on the reactions of our library faculty . . . Gideon the Ninth\u00a0(New Zealand: Tor Books, 2019) by &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/2026\/03\/book-reviews-for-you-faculty-picks\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Book Reviews for You \u2013 Faculty Picks&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":5303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[667],"tags":[668,669,670],"class_list":["post-5301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-book-recommendations","tag-book-picks","tag-leisure-collection","tag-recommended-readings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/290"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5301"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5326,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5301\/revisions\/5326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/libraries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}