Popular fiction and nonfiction in the library
Tired of reading so many scholarly journal articles? Does the idea of spending a quiet weekend at home with the latest Stephen King novel appeal to you? If the answer to either of those questions is "yes!" check out the library's collection of popular books. On the second floor opposite the Copy Center you'll find an assortment of current fiction and nonfiction, chosen to (hopefully) satisfy the leisure reading interests of students, faculty and staff. Mysteries, literary fiction, historical fiction, and science fiction are all represented. And if you enjoy reading nonfiction, you'll find that there, too. Read about a California winery in The House of Mondavi: the Rise & Fall of an American Wine Dynasty or get the dish on Princess Di in Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles. Try out a few recipes from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Cooking or Giada De Laurentiis' Giada's Family Dinners. Take a trip to ancient Egypt with Michelle Moran in Nefertiti: A Novel.
Of course sometimes, what you'd like to read most might not be on the shelf. To browse all the titles in the Popular Collection, click on the "Books" link on the library home page, and then on "Popular Collection" under "Featured Lists." You can use the "Request" link to put a hold on a book that's checked out. Or, simply search for a book you're interested in by title to see if we have it.
We want the Popular Collection to appeal to the entire university community, and be more than just an offering of current bestsellers. You'll certainly find bestsellers, and more. I enjoy reading lots of book reviews, in newspapers, magazines, and journals to choose books that will appeal to a range of interests. If you have suggestions for titles to add to the collection, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at ecolson@csuchico.edu.
My current favorite book from the Popular Collection? Check out Stef Penney's novel The Tenderness of Wolves. Penney's debut novel features an intriguing cast of characters you won't soon forget, and combines mystery and history in a great adventure story set in the very cold and snowy Canadian Northwest Territory. It's a page turner!
Contributed by Liz Colson