On a campus populated by ardent readers, perhaps no one loves books more than the staff at WashU Libraries. In honor of National Book Lover’s Day, celebrated annually on Aug. 9, the Record asked librarians to share some of their favorite titles. The result: a tour de force by a WashU alumna, a sweeping epic of German history and one of the globe’s most beloved fantasy novels.
‘Anniversaries’ by Uwe Johnson
“Anniversaries: From A Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl” is a book I love. It was published in German in four parts between 1970 and 1983, and translated into English for the first time completely in 2018 by Damion Searls. The author, Uwe Johnson, is not very well known in the United States, but he was part of a group of post-World War II writers called Gruppe 47, including Günter Grass and Ingeborg Bachmann, who spent a lot of time here. These writers were reckoning with Germany rebuilding itself as a nation after it perpetrated the most horrific crime in modern history and asking, “What does it mean to be German? What does it mean to come to terms with a monstrous past?”
–– Walter Schlect, Germanic languages and literatures and comparative literature subject librarian
‘The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’ by V. E. Schwab
One of my recurrent favorites is “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V. E. Schwab, a WashU grad (BFA ’09). When she came to St. Louis to visit, I actually got to meet her and she signed my copy — it was super cool. It’s such a fantastic story. The premise is so strong that I didn’t think she could end it in a way that would be satisfying, but the ending is so good.
Then, my favorite book in the collection is the Witherspoon Bible, which is from 1275. It’s our earliest codex in the collection, meaning its pages are stacked and bonded like a traditional book as opposed to a scroll. It’s such a cool piece of history.
— Cassie Brand, curator of rare books
‘The Hobbit’ by J. R. R. Tolkien
Books from my childhood definitely hold a special place in my heart. My father read “The Hobbit” to me for the first time when I was too young to read it on my own. Of course I’ve read it on my own several times since then. My father has passed now and rereading that book brings back memories. I have several copies, but a couple of years ago a new edition with the original dust jacket art came out, so I had to buy another one!
— Mimi Calter, vice provost and university librarian
‘Station Eleven’ by Emily St. John Mandel
Choosing a favorite book is a really hard thing to do. so I selected one that is worth rereading — “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. It’s almost too relevant, but it’s about a giant pandemic that knocks out civilization and what that world looks like with no tech. The things that survive are humanities and the arts. It’s such a beautifully written book with such a rich text. It’s creepy that it came out in 2014 before the COVID-19 pandemic.They filmed the TV series adaptation while the real pandemic was happening.
— Lauren Todd, head of STEM and business librarians, engineering subject librarian
‘A Science for the Soul’ by Corinna Treitel
There is a wonderful book by WashU faculty member Corinna Treitel (professor of history in Arts & Sciences). Her book is called “A Science for the Soul,” and it is a history of modern German occult movements from around 1870 until the 1930s. It does an amazing job of bringing in a huge archive of primary source documents and then telling an engaging story about the German occult movement. That period is overlooked today, but for those who appreciate such things, this book captures the telepathy, spirit communication and mind reading of the time.
— Samuel Glauber, Miriam Barr Librarian for Jewish and Near Eastern Studies and classics subject librarian
