Student worker at the circulation desk, Ian Williamson, made these statements about his favorite books:

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (Call #: P485on 2008 bk. 1)

This fantasy novel, the first in the four-book Wingfeather Saga, follows the adventures of the Igiby children, who live on the cliffside of a continent facing the sea where once a year, sea dragons come up to sing. Featuring original characters and creatures, like the unforgettable Peet the Sock Man, the lizard-like Fangs of Dang, and the toothy cows of Skree, this book's combination of lore and a witty, humorous style show the author's success in his attempt to, as he says, marry The Lord of the Rings with The Princess Bride. A shamelessly fun, irreverent read that simultaneously tackles themes of family ties, faith, and sacrifice, Peterson's novel just might be your next favorite fantasy read. 

 

Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins (Call #: 821.914 C712s 2001)

If you want to get into poetry but are off-put by a lot of poems' old-school language, obscure references and dense style, Billy Collins is a good poet to start reading. Collins' poetry is accessible, often funny, and always poignant. This collection features such poems as "American Sonnet" where Collins says the American sonnet is "the picture postcard, a poem on vacation/that forces us to sing our songs in little rooms/or pour our sentiments into measuring cups" and "Introduction to Poetry" where Collins says "I want them to water-ski/across the surface of a poem/waving at the author's name on the shore. ... But all they want to do/is tie the poem to a chair with rope/and torture a confession out of it." These and other poems in the collection  show how Collins focuses on the ordinary features of human life and elevates these mundane things with a kind of tender attention.  

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Call #: B798fa 2013)

A classic dystopian story, Bradbury's 1953 novel was eerily accurate in its predicting how obsessed people would become with entertainment. Written during the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, the book is also a commentary on censorship, imagining a future where all books are burned. This is a short, forceful book where no word feels wasted, a book that remains relevant and looks more and more like our contemporary environment.