This week, we spoke to an incoming staff member at Pitts whose work behind the scenes will ensure that you can find the books and resources you need in our online catalogue and beyond! Brinna Michael will join the Pitts team in July 2019 as our new Cataloging and Metadata Librarian. Brinna provided some great suggestions that will take the reader on adventures in fantasy, historical fiction, and even magical realism over the summer intercession!
Brinna’s first recommendation is the novel The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Brinna explains that this book is a “wild ride that starts out like an even-keeled historical fiction novel and then begins to teeter slightly towards magical realism. On the surface, this is a coming-of-age adventure, but dig a little deeper, and you find a surprisingly complex look at the power of storytelling, words, and belief. With a truly colorful and eccentric cast of characters, this book surprises [readers] with it’s charming (and sometimes absurd) tone and witty dialog, as well as the way it asks [the reader] to suspend disbelief while conveying some truly down-to-earth observations on life, family, and friendship.”
For those long summer road trips or flights, Brinna recommends The Adventure Zone: Balance, a podcast by Griffin, Travis, Justin, and Clint McElroy. Brinna calls this free podcast a “profound piece of storytelling” documenting the McElroy brothers (of My Brother, My Brother, and Me fame) and their father as they play an epic Dungeons & Dragons campaign. This sweeping adventure features an eccentric cast of characters including an elven wizard who once had a hugely popular cooking show, a human fighter who’s also an excellent carpenter and loves dogs, and a dwarven cleric who wears sandals and spreads the good word of Pan with his eXtreme Teen Bible in addition to the players themselves. Brinna highly suggests this podcast for those who like “fantasy, elevators, and the insurmountable power found in the bonds of friendship.”
Stay tuned for more recommendations from Candler and Pitts faculty and staff this summer!
