CC image courtesy of Flickr user q8

Ahhh… spring time. The beautiful blossoming trees, the 80 degree weather, the smell of barbeque in the air….not to mention the whole spring break thing.  What’s not to love?

For those of you still in town, you’ll be pleased to know that the Undergraduate Library is open this week, operating from 8:30AM – 5:00PM through Friday (and reopening Sunday at 1PM).   And while we know it can be hard to find the time to engage in leisure reading when you’re in the thick of the academic craziness, spring break is the perfect time to stop by the UGL and pick up one of our great new books.  After all, you can’t spell “break” without almost spelling “read,” which obviously goes to show that reading and vacation go hand-in-hand.

Here’s a little list of some intriguing titles just hitting the UGL shelves to whet your appetite. You can find these on the “New Books Shelf” on the upper level of the UGL. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Ask the friendly library staff… we’re happy to help!

Fiction – Take Me to Another Place

Out of Time: Stories by Geoff Schmidt

Winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, this collection of short stories is bound to please all you literary types.  “The stories in Out of Time chase after the secrets and sorrows of families, revealing the lengths people will go, and the harm they will do, to keep their worlds together. These characters are not crazy, they are in love and afraid.”—Ben Marcus, author of Age of Wire and String

Start Shooting: A Novel by Charlie Newton

Like dark and gritty mysteries? Enjoy stories set in Chicago? Then Newton’s new novel is the one for you.  Chicago cop Bobby Vargas and his detective brother Reuben are pulled back into the world of their youth when a local reporter implicates them in a 25-year-old murder case involving their childhood neighbor.   “Newton has created the writerly equivalent of every great Chicago bluesman who ever lived playing together, all soloing simultaneously. It might be messy, but you wouldn’t want to miss a single note.”                                                             –Thomas Gaughan, Booklist

 Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Looking for something a bit lighter?  Check out Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly’s latest romantic suspense novel, in which recently separated and jobless Kate Appleton heads to  Michigan to turn her parents’ old lake house into a Bed and Breakfast.  Strapped for cash, she takes on a less-than-savory spy gig for local brewery owner, Matt, who promises Kate a $20,000 payout if she can find out who’s been sabotaging his business.  Things get dicey and spicy as Kate and Matt fall for each other and it becomes clear the saboteur Kate’s after is looking to kill more than just Matt’s business…

Nonfiction: Some of it Deep, All of it Awesome.

The Complete Hogan: A Shot-by-Shot Analysis of Golf’s Greatest Swing by Jim McClean

The awesome weather we’re enjoying this week is perfect for golfing.  So before you go hit the links, why not read up on how icon Ben Hogan actually managed his legendary swing. Top golf instructor Jim McClean breaks down Hogan’s swing piece by piece in a way that’s never been done before, encouraging you to integrate some of Hogan’s mechanics into your game. Alternate reading a chapter and hitting the driving range, and soon enough you’ll be a legend in your own mind.

A Nation of Moochers: America’s Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing by Charles J. Sykes

If you’re a news and/or policy junkie, this is the book for you. A Nation of Moochers takes a look at the American trend towards demanding and expecting “free” money; from Wall Street bailouts to corporate tax exemptions. Whether you agree with Sykes or not, his entertaining examination of the “American moocher mentality” will have you mind-penning witty op-eds for days (or, you know, arguing with your parents, effectively showing them that you are learning stuff at school!)

The Great American Cereal Book: How Breakfast Got Its Crunch by Martin Gitlin

Seriously… who doesn’t love cereal? Marketed as the “definitive compendium on breakfast cereal history and lore,” this coffee table-style book tells the stories of your favorite cereals (and associated spokes-characters), from Grape Nuts to Trix.  For as the author notes, “Cereal is fun. Eating cereal is fun. Reading cereal boxes is fun.”