I know, I know.  You’re sick of reading.  I get it.  But, remember when reading wasn’t stressful?  Remember reading for fun, when forgetting a key piece of information was only a mild annoyance that interrupted the flow of your book instead of the difference between a B+ and an A-?  I do (probably because I haven’t been a law student for a decade) and I think you should too.

In light of our new, lighter approach to reading, the law librarians thought you could use a few fun, interesting, enjoyable books for winter break.  No, these won’t be on the exam. 

Books held by Georgia State hyperlink to the GilFind Catalog. Books available in online format are indicated.

Pam Brannon

Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greet

A struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding in this hilarious Pulitzer Prize-winning novel full of “arresting lyricism and beauty.”

Kris Niedringhaus

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver presents a personal selection of her best work in this definitive collection spanning more than five decades of her esteemed literary career.

The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

A sweeping tale of clashing cultures, warring gods, and forbidden love: In 1000 AD, a young Inuit shaman and a Viking warrior become unwilling allies as war breaks out between their peoples and their gods-one that will determine the fate of them all.

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geologic time—from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves, to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, to a deep-sunk “hiding place” where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come—Underland takes us on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both place and mind.

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Rooted in foundational loss and the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is both a global dystopian narrative an intimate family story with quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience.

Cassandra Patterson

“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

The author presents real-life examples and the latest research on how straight talk about racial identities is essential to facilitate communication across racial and ethnic divides. It helps readers to figure out where to start the conversation. 

Online Version Available

Terrance Manion

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

Rediscover the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths—stylishly retold by Stephen Fry. This legendary writer, actor, and comedian breathes new life into beloved tales. From Persephone’s pomegranate seeds to Prometheus’s fire, from devious divine schemes to immortal love affairs, Fry draws out the humor and pathos in each story and reveals its relevance for our own time. Illustrated throughout with classical art inspired by the myths, this gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world, with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.

Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss (Forward by Judd Apatow).

I really don’t feel like this book needs a description.

Patrick Parsons

Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond by Sandra B. Tooze

Not available in the library. Email me at pparsons@gsu.edu to borrow my copy. It’s awesome.

He sang the anthems of a generation: “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “Life Is a Carnival.” Levon Helm’s story––told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians––is the rollicking story of American popular music itself.

Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin, Benjamin Whitmer

Get ready for one of America’s great untold stories: the true saga of the Louvin Brothers, a mid-century Southern gothic Cain and Abel and one of the greatest country duos of all time. The Los Angeles Times called them “the most influential harmony team in the history of country music,” but Emmylou Harris may have hit closer to the heart of the matter, saying “there was something scary and washed in the blood about the sound of the Louvin Brothers.” For readers of Johnny Cash’s irresistible autobiography and Merle Haggard’s My House of Memories, no country music library will be complete without this raw and powerful story of the duo that everyone from Dolly Parton to Gram Parsons described as their favorites: the Louvin Brothers.

Meg Butler

Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine

Shocked by the commerce in everything from pet cloning to patriotism, frightened by the downward spiral of her finances and that of the trash-strewn earth, Judith Levine enlists her partner, Paul, in a radical experiment: to forgo all but the most necessary purchases for an entire year.

Frugalwoods – Financial Independence and Simple Living

A website eschewing the philosophy “managing your money wisely enables you to pursue unusual aspirations and opens up a world of options for how to live your life.”