Christmas: Staff Picks!

by Jackie Martini, Library Social Media Student Worker

As the semester draws to a close, holiday preparations heat up as everyone on campus prepares for the Christmas season (or at the very least, the Christmas break!).  While the CSP Library staff is busily preparing the library for finals week and beyond, I snagged a few for a break and a quick chat, asking them about one of our favorite shared topics: books!  My question to them was, Do you have a favorite winter or Christmas read, author, or genre that you pick up this time of year for a good read?

Greg:

During winter I always read a book about Arctic exploration so that my daily 5 block walk seems more bearable. On the coldest, bleakest days my feet may be really cold by the time I get to work, but at least they haven't become gangrenous and fallen off! Some books I've enjoyed are Ninety Degrees North by Fergus Fleming and The Arctic Grail by Pierre Berton, both available via CLICnet requests.

Megan:

You know the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover?" Rubbish! Illustrations make or break a picture book for me and pulling out the Christmas picture books is one of my favorite preparations of the season (besides the cookies, of course!) Jan Brett is one of my all time favorite author/illustrators--especially when it comes to Christmas-themed books. The Wild Christmas Reindeer is a must read.

Nathan:

I just love to read the accounts of the first Christmas in the books of Luke and Matthew.

Jeanine:

My two "classic" go-to Christmas stories are A Visit from St Nicholas (Twas the Night Before Christmas) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Even though the kids in my family are all teenagers (or older) now, I have been known to coerce one or two of them into sitting down with me and reading them!  Another one I've always liked (but don't necessarily read every year) is O Henry's The Gift of the Magi.

Jane:

I love to read Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, specifically the "SantaLand Diaries" story. Hilarious!

Elizabeth:

I love looking at old Christmas issue magazines--Victoria, Better Homes & Garden, Country Living, and others. I pull these out every year and some of my favorites are 14 years old!

Jennifer:

The one constant is reading the Christmas story from the Bible (Luke 2). Besides that I can be found reading whatever strikes my fancy--right now I'm still working my way through Harry Potter, and currently I'm reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Amber:

I love Christmas stories that makes us pause and reflect on our lives. My favorite is actually a movie, not a book - every year I watch It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve with my family. There's nothing like a trip to Bedford Falls to remind you to count your blessings.