Friday Reads: The Buried Giant

If you're looking for a misty, mysterious fantasy novel to read this summer, Adam's current book might fit the bill. Read on for his teaser of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro!

Set in a mostly uncivilized post-Arthurian England, The Buried Giant tells the story of an elderly Briton couple, Axl and Beatrice, who live in a small hillside village. The England of the novel is a land shrouded in mist, where ogres and dragons roam the land, and where everyone is experiencing a mysterious sort of collective amnesia. Some believe it is the constant mists that cloud their memories. With vague recollections occasionally gnawing at the corners of their minds, Axl and Beatrice set out on a journey to visit their barely remembered son, and along the way they are joined by a fierce Saxon warrior, an orphaned boy with a strange bite wound, and the aging Arthurian knight, Sir Gawain. Facing peril from human and non-human threats alike, they continue on their way, slowly piecing together the truths about their shared past.

This is a different kind of fantasy novel than I've read before, borrowing genre iconography like dragons and ogres, but with a very grounded storyline and language that reads more like historical fiction, despite its mythic trappings. It's also a highly allegorical novel, and its examination of collective responses to guilt and trauma feels sadly relevant. Kazuo Ishiguro also wrote two of my favorite novels, The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, both of which offer similarly slow, subtle builds to their respective story revelations. They're the kind of novels for which the phrase "quietly devastating" was coined, and The Buried Giant is another work that fits that description to a T.

Memorial Day weekend closure

The Library is closing tomorrow (Thursday, 5/25) at noon for the annual SHU Employee picnic and will remain closed for the holiday weekend. Regular summer hours will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30th.

Building closed tomorrow

Reeves Hall will be closed to the public tomorrow (Friday, May 19th) for an Admissions event. The Library staff will be available via email to assist you remotely. 

Summer Newsletter

The Summer 2023 edition of the Library Newsletter is out! Faculty and staff, check your inboxes, or click here to view online: 

https://mailchi.mp/c9e0f0f8fb2e/library-newsletter-summer-2023

Closing at noon on Wed., 5/10

The Library will be closing at noon tomorrow (Wednesday, May 10th) for an employee event. 

Summer Library Hours

We're on summer time here on the Hill!

Our summer hours run from May 8 - August 20, 2023. We will be open 8:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be closed on weekends. Exception dates are posted on the Library home page. 

National Library Week!

Celebrate National Library Week April 23-29, 2023!

National Library Week is an annual celebration sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA). It has been observed throughout the United States every April since 1958! The week highlights the many ways libraries, librarians, and library workers transform lives and strengthen school, public, academic, and special-interest communities.

The theme for that first National Library Week in 1958 was "Wake Up and Read!" This year, for the 65th celebration, the theme is “There's More to the Story."

While the "brand" of most libraries is books, "there's more to the story." Our print and digital resources form the space for the scholarly conversation and the sharing of the human experience across chronological, linguistic, cultural, and geographic barriers. Come and contribute to the great ongoing story!

Throughout the week, stop by Reeves Hall and visit the Reeves Memorial Library spaces upstairs and downstairs for research help, interactive whiteboard questions, bookmark and sticker giveaways, Mindful Moments with the Counseling Center, and easy ways to express your support for the Library, its staff, and its resources. And make sure to participate on social media by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

National Library Week Events:

Monday-Friday, all day: New whiteboard question and bookmark or sticker giveaway every day (by the Library desk on the main level of the Learning Commons)

Monday (Right to Read Day): ALA releases the State of America's Libraries report and the Top Ten (13 this year!) Frequently Challenged Books of 2022 (watch our social media)

Tuesday (National Library Workers Day): Library Aide appreciation day - thank a student Library worker

Wednesday (National Library Outreach Day): Cheer Kelly on at the Honors Club "Life Raft Event" in front of McKenna at 7:00 p.m. and vote for her to make it to the deserted island!

Thursday (Take Action for Libraries Day): Stop by the main level of the Learning Commons and write a postcard in support of Reeves Memorial Library