We in the Emory Libraries have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure you have access to the academic books you need for your research, teaching, and learning. Now that the winter holiday break is near, we want to ensure you have some leisure material to enjoy. To relax, we are reading, viewing, and listening to a variety of treats, from good detective thrillers to some of the most famous opera arias of all time. A number of recommendations this year also have a focus on indigenous voices. We invite you to check them out, too.
First, you should know that all Emory University faculty, students, and staff have access to two free online library collections, courtesy of the Fulton County Library System (formerly the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library or AFPL) and Emory Libraries.
For Emory Libraries, you can find these titles and many more via:
- Library Search (Emory’s catalog)
- Emory Overdrive (soon to be Libby) for ebooks & audiobooks
- Naxos for music
- Met Opera on Demand
- Alexander Street Press Music Online
- Swank Digital Campus for film
-
Academic Video Online (AVON) for streaming video
If you are interested in obtaining the print version of one of these books from the Emory Libraries, please request the book within Library Search. For any questions, you can contact the Ask a Librarian service.
For Fulton County Library System, you can use:
- FulCo catalog
- FulCo Overdrive ebooks & audiobooks
- FulCo Hoopla movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows
The Fulton County Library System is open Monday-Saturday for in-person services.
What are Emory librarians reading, listening to, and viewing?
Nonfiction:
- Hoppin’ John’s Lowcountry Cooking: Recipes and Ruminations from Charleston & the Carolina Coastal Plain by John Martin Taylor (Cookbook)
- God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning by Meghan O’Gieblyn (Essay / Memoir)
- The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation by Cory Doctorow (Social Criticism)
- An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong (Natural History)
- Crazy Brave: A Memoir Joy Harjo (Memoir)
- House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday (History)
- Popol Vuh (Collected Mayan Legends)
Fiction:
- Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by Rebecca F. Kuang (Fantasy / Alternative History)
- The Power of Light: Eight Stories for Hanukkah by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Hanukkah Stories)
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Historical Fiction)
- Independence: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Historical Fiction)
- The Fraud: A Novel By Zadie Smith (Historical Fiction)
- The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (Mystery)
- Ariadne A Novel by Jennifer Saint (Mythological Fiction)
- The Last Devil to Die: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman (Mystery)
- A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel by Julia Seales (Historical Fiction/Mystery)
- Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley (Novel)
- Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble (Historical Fiction)
- Magician’s daughter by H.G. Perry (Historical Fiction / Fantasy)
- All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries series #1) by Martha Wells (Sci-Fi)
- Legendborn by Deonn Tracy (YA Fantasy)
- His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (Fantasy)
- Drowning in Fire by Craig Womack (Coming of Age Novel)
- Cheyenne Madonna by Eddie Chuculate (Short Stories, Western)
- Time Commences in Xibalba by Luis de Lion (Novel, Spanish edition also available)
Poetry:
- An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo (Audiobook read by Joy Harjo)
- An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
- She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo
Music:
- Orange by Caroline Shaw (2019), Performed by the Attacca Quartet (Chamber Music)
- Sleigh (2023), Christmas compilation from indie label Nettwerk
Video:
- Cosmos a personal journey by Carl Sagan (2000, PBS Science Series, DVD)
- Sans Soleil by Chris Marker (2014, Science Fiction, Blue Ray)
- My Grandparents’ War, Season 2 (2023, PBS documentary)
- Nova: Saving the Right Whale (2023, PBS documentary)
- Les Misérables (2018, BBC Masterpiece series)
- Weathering with You (2019, Japanese Romantic Drama)
- Champion (2023) by Terrence Blanchard (Opera)
- Ailey (2021, Biographical Documentary)
- Popul Vuh (2007, Animated Short)
A great big thank you to all of the library folks in ILL, Music & Media, and our subject librarians for sharing their favorites and wish lists. Special thanks to the Emory Alumni Association and Professor Emil’ Keme for offering must-read titles by indigenous authors. If you have your own favorite titles and are looking for similar titles, try NoveList, which will recommend read-a-likes and similar series for all ages.
—Gautham Reddy, South Asian Studies and Religion librarian