Currently on display in the new books alcove at the Brooklyn campus library is a collection of books recommended by library staff for vacation reading. A few reviews from the display follow…
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
Recommended by Laena McCarthy, Image Cataloger and Reference Librarian
This book is a must for anyone who designs things to be used by humans, whether it is computer programs, objects, packaging or libraries. It will change the way you interact with the world around you, open your eyes to the needlessness and futility of bad design, and clarify the necessity for good, people-centered design. Although written almost twenty years ago, this book reinforces the idea that certain basic usability principles are universal. Read it first, and then go design things.
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Recommended by Jennifer Palmisano, Graduate Assistant
As one of Dostoyevsky’s earliest pieces, this work is partially Dostoyevsky philosophizing and partially these larger ideas in narrative.An excellent read for anyone looking for something that’s more than “just fiction.” This book could potentially rock your mind and soul. Dostoyevsky does an excellent job translating his ideas of the greater world in to piece of literature. For anyone that is interested in progession of Dostoyevsky’s writing, this is an excellent place to start, as it sincerely displays his youthful naivete and exuberance.
Wise Childrenby Angela Carter
Recommended by Christopher Bussmann, Circulation Supervisor
Angela Carter’s Wise Children is an exuberant mix of the hilarious and grotesque. A Shakespearean fusion of comedy and tragedy, twinned like her main characters, and then filtered through a precise post-modern lens. Angela Carter is always a fun read.
