Recommended by: Meredith Kostek, Assistant Director Research & Instruction
This is your sign to take out your to be read list, find the oldest book on there, and read it. I found AAoKaC in a box of books I have moved 3 times but not opened since 2005! Michael Chabon's writing is always fantastic, but this story of the beginning of superhero comics and a nod to Jack Kirby is stellar. Wish I had read it 20 years ago so I could have read it 5 more times since then!

Recommended by: Tung Yin, Professor of Law
If you liked The Hunger Games, you'll probably like this Japanese novel, which was published a decade earlier than Suzanne Collins' thriller. A school bus of Japanese middle schoolers is hijacked, and the students find they are the annual sacrifice for a battle royale, where each is given a backpack with random supply/weapon. Only one will survive. (Warning: obviously, it is a super violent novel.)

Recommended by: Alicia Ouellette, Jordan D. Schnitzer Dean
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a delight. Told entirely through letters from and to former lawyer and spirited septuagenarian Sybil Van Antwerp, the novel overflows with wit, honesty, and hard-won wisdom. Sybil is fearless and forthright — often to a fault — and her reflections, friendships, missteps, generosity, and adventures made me laugh, cry, and pause to consider my own life. I simply could not put this lovely book down, and was truly sad to turn the final page. A warm, smart, and deeply human read.

Recommended by Carra Sahler, Green Energy Institute Director and Staff Attorney
Oh, this book! The Covenant of Water begins in India in 1900, tracking three generations of strong and interesting characters. For those wanting the audio book version, the reader tells the story in a mellifluous voice with all the accents (except perhaps the Scots).

Recommended by: Judy Asbury, Associate Dean, Communications and Development
It follows a family in Dresden; the mother is a zoo keeper who saves an elephant - and the elephant that in turn saved the family and others from that horrific event.

Recommended by: Rob Truman, Director of Boley Law Library, Associate Dean
My first romantasy, and oh what a universe I've discovered. Is this the greatest piece of literature on this list? No, no it is not. Is it very readable and a fun break from reality? You bet. Did I discreetly skip over the sexy parts? Of course!

Recommended by: John Parry, Edward Brunet Professor of Law
It's no surprise that a book by Zadie Smith would be compelling and beautifully written. It's a little more of a surprise that she structured the book around the real case of the Tichborne claimant (an 1870s English case about a man who falsely claimed to be the heir to an estate, which was a sensation in the English press). Not to mention that several of the characters are english writers, including Dickens. But the story turns on the entwined stories of Eliza Touchet (who would have been called a "spinster" at the time) and Andrew Bogle (enslaved and then a servant to the Tichborne family), which allows Smith to bring in and explore a multitude of themes.

Recommended by Carra Sahler, Green Energy Institute Director and Staff Attorney
I am only halfway through listening to the book, but find the characters intriguing, likeable, and funny. Abbott, the anxious young adult who is at the center of this darkly humorous thriller, has no idea that his every move foments a social media frenzy about the reason he and his companion are transporting a black box from California to D.C.

Recommended by: Jo Perini-Abbott, Executive Director of the Lewis & Clark Advocacy Center and Professor of Practice
A funny and heartwarming "mid-life crisis solved by leaning into your quirky community" novel. (I think that's an official genre these days, at least I hope it is).

Recommended by: Sarah Hunsberger, Acquisitions and Circulation Specialist
The fierce main character, Janet, quickly became one of my all-time favorite humans: so sensitive, complex and genuine that it's hard to believe she's fictional. This novel is a short, satisfying gem that is both harsh and beautiful.

Recommended by: Kaiti Bestor, Center for Animal Law Studies Teaching Fellow
Told through a series of letters from Little Dog to his mother, this blend of conventional storytelling and lyrical prose offers a welcome break from the formalistic rigor of legal reading. I especially recommend it to anyone exploring creative writing; its beautifully wrought, emotionally resonant sentences are sure to help rekindle a creative spark.

Recommended by: Rob Truman, Director of Boley Law Library, Associate Dean
The elevator pitch sounds like Groundhog Day: "Tara Selter has involuntarily stepped off the train of time: in her world, November 18th repeats itself endlessly." But it is far more than a genre exercise, with lyrical, observant prose that rewards careful reading. Book 2 is equally worth your time.

Recommended by: Judy Asbury, Associate Dean, Communications and Development
Narrated in part by a very precocious octopus, the story takes place around a small aquarium off the Puget Sound. Amazon's description is spot on: A charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

Recommended by: Lara Elliott, Circulation and Resource Sharing Specialist
Enjoy a quick and beautiful retelling of Arthurian legend with a queer, gender-bent Percival and her journey to test her strength in an unfamiliar world. The audiobook, narrated by the author, is read like a poem.

Recommended by: Ben Skaggs, Technology Technician
A Holmes and Watson style murder mystery set in a fantasy world where our two detectives are brought in after a man dies from a tree spontaneously growing out of and through him. Packed with twists and turns and political intrigue!

Recommended by: John Parry, Edward Brunet Professor of Law
On the surface, this is a story about a fictional English psychedelic rock group in the late 1960s. There are lots of cameos of real artists such as Leonard Cohen, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, and John Lennon. The four members of the band come from very different backgrounds, and their conflicts and collaborations provide a lot of the plot. But Mitchell is on to something more than a late 60s music story, and his ability to imagine the inner life of his characters is remarkable. The plot intertwines with a couple of Mitchell's other novels, and the plot threads involving the character Jasper go in very interesting directions.

Recommended by: Zach Nacev, Earthrise Law Center Legal Fellow
Great writing, interesting characters, and ample twists. But, it is also thought provoking. Feels like a 'big book,' but is very easy to read.

Recommended by: Kyle Johnson, Director of Public Interest Law
I laughed, I cried, I boiled with rage at the injustices. L&C Law Alumnus Calvin Duncan, '23, and co-author Sophie Cull take the reader through Calvin's journey from getting plucked from a work camp sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest, wrongfully prosecuted and convicted of murder, and imprisoned at Angola with seemingly no hope for exoneration. Calvin's story of survival, maintaining hope, self-education and tireless work for other inmates as a jailhouse lawyer, and ultimate success in overturning his conviction is unforgettable and inspiring for any reader. Just be ready to "binge" read because you will not want to put this book down!
*This book was also recommended by Natasha Richmond

Recommended by: Sarah Johnson, Associate Director of Boley Law Library
Urbana, Ohio has changed since Beth Macy grew up there. The once thriving town of her adolescence in the 1970s is now a town she doesn't recognize. As Macy tries to reconcile the two images of the town she also digs deep into America's changing political and social landscape.

Recommended By: Megan Senatori, Executive Director for the Center for Animal Law Studies
This beautiful memoir written by Chloe Dalton traces her unexpected journey in rescuing an orphaned baby hare during the COVID lockdown. Dalton's journey in caring for the hare over the years helps us consider our place within nature, our impacts on wild places, and what it means to love someone and set them free.

Recommended by: Natasha Richmond, Director of Alumni Relations
A gripping memoir, Zamora takes the reader on a 3,000 mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, across the border to the U.S., through the perspective of a nine year old boy. When you read this book, you will feel as if you are right next to Javier on his journey, eager to find out what happened next.

Recommended by: Judy Asbury, Associate Dean, Communications and Development
I liked Remarkably Bright Creatures (above) so much that I read this non fiction book, too.
Written by a naturalist, this is anything but a boring science book. It kept me wanting to read more, and reminded me of the wonder of nature.

Recommended by Lydia Ruiz-Hom, Faculty Legal Assistant
While the horrors of death row are well known, hearing Mr. Hinton's account of the 30 years he spent there for a crime he didn't commit offers a perspective that is truly unique and heartbreaking. Even in the darkest of places, his unwavering humanity allowed him to find common ground with and even become friends with many inmates, including a KKK member convicted of murder.

Recommended by Bill Chin, Professor of Law
Is space the sole province of nation-states? Are rocket launches restricted to governments and billionaires? No and no. Read about a self-taught rocket scientist without a college degree who started Rocket Lab, a private company manufacturing its own rockets to launch small satellites. Read about Planet Lab and its co-founders who built their own satellites that revolutionized the imaging of the Earth. And there is more to read.

Recommended by: Heidi Judge, Director of Law School Events
This is an unforgettable audiobook experience: a celebration of Mary Oliver's poems, the renowned and the obscure, enhanced by meditations and personal stories. Contributors like Ross Gay, Samin Nosrat, and Rainn Wilson reflect on the profound impact Oliver's poetry has had on their lives.