Reding Rainbow

“That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive—all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”  - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

When we’re not working (although we’re always working), most of us are veracious readers. As the topics of new books, old standby magazines, favorite blogs, and current podcasts are always on our lips, we decided to start sharing our top picks in a new segment inspired by the one and only LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow fame. Note: he also has a super cool podcast where reads out-loud his favorite short stories.

First Up: What We’re Reading!

Susan U: Borrowed from her mom, she’ll pass along “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah to her sister in Colorado next. An informal book exchange is where it’s at y’all!

Alison: Her nightstand is always overflowing with reading material and yes, the book is always better than the movie. Just finished: “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan.

Chloe: For a little levity at the end of the day she turned to David Sedaris’ latest collection of stories “Calypso”. In putting this together she also remembered this inscription in her copy of his “Holidays On Ice” from 1999, so cool! 

Samantha: As part of their Christmas tradition, her mom chooses a new book for every member of the family. This year’s pick is loaded with Atwood and Orwell vibes, “Vox” by Christina Dalcher.

Susan Rains: With a New Year’s resolution to re-focus on health, these picks are old favorites that never truly get old: “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” by Mollie Katzen and “Plenty More” by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Connie: With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, our broker in charge is switching between the short stories of “Runaway” by Alice Munro and the even shorter stories in her stack of magazines. Her subscriptions definitely reflect this former librarian’s eclectic range of interests from food to conservation and most recently the fostering of her 12 year old’s burgeoning hunting skills. It’s Brunswick Stew for dinner tonight, with squirrel of course!

Alva: Switching between fiction and non-fiction, our resident marketer is usually reading 6-10 things at a time. At the moment though, she’s fully dedicated to “Stoned” by Aja Raden about how “jewelry, obsession, and desire” shape our world.

Dara: Highly recommends the young adult book “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas. It’s about racism and police brutality so definitely not uplifting but incredibly necessary.

Of all the RED crew, Mariela likely reads the most (typically finishing a book every one-two weeks). She even keeps notes of all her favorite quotes and passages - this sort of dedication, curiosity, and introspection is why we love her SO much! She just finished Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” and “The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang.

While Amazon is great, you can never beat the smell of a library for finding these reads and more. On Duke’s East Campus the Lilly Library combines beautiful architecture and rich history for a sumptuous experience despite the fact that all the art stacks are in the basement. We’re also super blessed to have fantastic local bookstores here in the area. In Raleigh we love browsing and buying even late at night on Nice Price Book’s honor system method. Durham’s Ninth Street has both the Regulator bookshop and Tiny which means readers of all ages have some place to shop. A fixture in Chapel Hill for as long as any of us can remember, Flyleaf Books always has a packed calendar full of clubs, signings, and story-times.

What’s currently on your bedside table? Share your picks on Instagram or Facebook & stay tuned for RED’s top picks in blogs & podcasts over the next several months (and of course more books). We’ll see you next time!