By Ethan Shea

Welcome back Wildcats! I hope everyone had a restful break. 

In addition to my annual tradition of buying more books than I need with Christmas cash, I was able to read some exciting books during my time off.

To begin the semester, I thought I would give a couple reading recommendations and share these recent reads.

Circe – Madeline Miller 

The first book I read during break was Circe by Madeline Miller. The majority of this book was read during a Caribbean cruise I went on with my family, making the islands described in the story seem even more surreal. I really felt like I was on Aeaea with Circe.

Circe tells the story of, well … Circe, the daughter of Helios, God of the sun. Importantly, this story is told from Circe’s perspective, a response to the generally male-centric focus of classic Greco-Roman literature. Miller’s tale manages to make the grandiose life of Gods relatable through her intimate depictions of girlhood and motherhood. Overcoming childhood trauma and being outcast because of differences are problems not just mortals but even children of Gods must overcome. 

During last winter break, as you can see on this blog, I read Madeline Miller’s first novel, The Song of Achilles. It made sense to read Miller’s second novel during my second winter here at Villanova. 

If We Were Villains – M.L. Rio 

Another book I read has a much different tone. M.L. Rio’s novel If We Were Villains is a classic dark academia tale, an aesthetic you can learn more about on this blog. I usually would not have been drawn to a book with such an aesthetic, but I’m glad I listened to my roommate’s recommendation.

In Rio’s story, an elite group of students working to become Shakespearean actors are forced to reconcile with the mysterious death of a classmate. With no shortage of Shakespeare quotes, Rio slowly unveils the truth of the matter while weaving a messy story of romantic love and friendship.

If you haven’t already, I hope you find the time to check out one or both of these great novels before the semester gets too busy. 

Stay tuned for more Cat in the Stax content every Wednesday throughout the semester! 

Ethan Shea is a second-year graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

This week marks the first of two Children’s Book Weeks in 2021. For the last three years, it has been celebrated twice a year—once in the spring, in May, and again in the fall, in November. Starting in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest running national literacy initiative, bringing together authors, publishers, booksellers, libraries, and, most importantly, young readers. 

Cat in the Stax, Jenna Newman, got started on reading at a very young age

Reading has always been a huge part of my life and, especially, my childhood. Whether it was relating to the elementary school woes of Junie B. Jones or traveling around the world in a treehouse with Jack and Annie, curling up with a book has always been a favorite pastime. Beyond generating fond memories, the reading you did as a child is crucial in developing your values, enhancing your imagination, and helping you learn resilience at a young age. 

Our reading time may be made up of more research articles and textbooks than 100-page chapter books, but we can still jump in and celebrate Children’s Book Week this year and every year!

• Take a break, read a throwback: Sometimes, especially during finals, you just need that sense of accomplishment of completing a task, but also final exams and papers keep you from starting a new side project. Try taking a break and picking up a favorite childhood book to read. It’ll rest your mind from academics and when you finish it in an hour, you’ll feel accomplished.

• Share a book with a young reader: With the semester coming to a close, maybe you’re heading home to a younger sibling or have a babysitting job lined up for the summer. Do some research and share a book, whether a classic or something new, with a young reader. A kid is never too young to start to enjoy reading. 

• Join in the celebrations: Check out Every Child’s a Reader’s website to see ways you can get involved in Children’s Book Week. The website also has Superpower Book Lists so you can help young readers in your life find the perfect new book when you get home for the summer.

Fun Fact: Falvey has The Boxcar Children, Books 1-13 available digitally for some perfect throwback reading!

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department.

What is “Read with the (other) Jenna”?

“Read with the (other) Jenna” is an opportunity for the Villanova community, as well as the larger community, to come and read together. It’s an opportunity to connect virtually, while also making time to get off of electronics and spend some time in books. We’ll be reading one memoir or classic novel per month during the Fall and Spring semesters. Then, throughout the month, I’ll be posting various content and food for thought for us to connect on. Finally, on the last Thursday of every month, I’ll jump on Facebook and Instagram Live so that we can have a discussion about the book.

Inspiration for Read with the (other) Jenna

I’ve always loved to read, but between grad school, being newly married, work and everything else in life, it can be hard to find the time to sit down with a good book. What better way to make sure you have time to read than making it part of your job? With the accountability of you all reading along with me, we can learn more about the literary world and the larger world through these books. 

For those of you who are book club enthusiasts, you may have picked up on the fact that our name is a spin-off of the TODAY book club, Read with Jenna. I may not be an author, news personality, and journalist, but I hope that you still choose to read along with me!

Introducing the FIRST book of the month: Angela’s Ashes

Angela’s Ashes was written by Frank McCourt and published in September 1996. This memoir is told from the perspective of Frank (or Frankie) as a child to a family that had recently moved from Ireland and then moving back to Limerick, Ireland at a young age. Falvey holds one copy of the book that can be found and checked out here. 

What’s coming up?

Find here a reading plan for Angela’s Ashes that will help you keep up and follow along! Each week, we will be posting on our social media check-ins and ways for you to engage with others as you read through the book.

Fall Books

October // Angela’s Ashes

November // The Other Wes Moore

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department. Current mood: Hiding from the cold weather and reading Angela’s Ashes.

By Sarah Wingo

On March 16, all of Villanova’s classes went online, and all faculty and staff who were able to were asked to begin working from home. At this time, we were told that the earliest we could expect to come back to campus would be after Easter Break.

We now know we will not be returning this semester—there will be no spring musical, no March Madness, no end of term celebrations, and no in-person commencement ceremonies.

The week before we all went home tension on campus was palpable. You’d pass dozens of students speaking in hushed and anxious tones on the phone to their parents. Faculty friends of mine spoke of seniors breaking into tears in class knowing that their final semester at Villanova would be nothing like they could have ever imagined.

Everyone was anxious and worried.

I personally handle crisis best when I have something to do, some way I can help, something I can plan. So I started thinking it was clear people needed something to look forward to, something to take their minds off the current state of the world, something that could bring us together and create a community that could support each other through this.

When I was in graduate school earning my masters in English (Shakespeare Studies specifically), one of the professors at my school organized Thursday night play readings. These readings were designed to expose us to the plays of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, but they were also a social gathering. People brought wine and baked goods, and the events were fun and silly. This, I thought, could work.

So I contacted two of my friends who are faculty in the theatre department, Dr. Chelsea Phillips, and Dr. Bess Rowen, and proposed my idea: virtual play readings via Zoom with the theatre graduate students. They were in.

The next day, I sent out the following email and asked everyone interested to respond to a poll asking when would be the best time for us to all meet.

Email:

Hello, Lovely Theatre People!

I have a proposal for you. Chelsea, Bess, and I have been trying to think of ways to facilitate socializing while social distancing, and we’ve got an idea, but we’ll need your help for it to work.

What I’m Proposing:

• Renaissance play readings, no Shakespeare allowed.
• We meet once a week via Skype or Zoom (TBA) and together read one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries.
• We read cold, no preparation, mistakes and mispronunciations welcome.
• Sign up to be assigned a role or just pop in to listen.
• BYO wine/beer/cocktail. [our theatre department is all graduate students]
• We take an intermission to chat and refill.
• Anyone who wants to join is welcome roles to be assigned on a first come first served basis.

Context:

We did this when I was in grad school in England studying Shakespeare in his hometown, granted it was in person. It was such a fun way to get to know other playwrights from Shakespeare’s time and in turn put him in context. Also the plays are readily available through public domain so we don’t have to worry about how to access them. Drinking was not compulsory, but it certainly made the whole thing more fun, and it is meant to be silly and fun, with just a smidge of education thrown in.

When?:

This is the tricky part, finding a day/time, I know many of you have family responsibilities and this may not be possible. Let’s take a poll and see what would work best for everyone.

We had an enthusiastic response, and the following Friday at 7 p.m., a librarian, two theatre professors, and about 12 Villanova theatre students met via Zoom to read A Knight of The Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont, a very silly and fun play wherein a couple of “audience” members storm the stage of a play and take over inserting themselves and their young man servant into the action. The reading lasted for a little over 3 hours and was an absolute delight; it was silly and joyous, and for just a little while the weight of the world lifted, and we were all just sitting in our homes hanging out with friends.

The first reading was a resounding success, and we’re planning to keep them going every Friday for as long as this whole thing lasts. So far we have read Knight of The Burning Pestle, The Maid’s Tragedy, The Shoemaker’s Holiday, The Spanish Tragedy, and John Lyly’s Gallathea .

So how does it work:

• Each week, at the end of the our reading, we announce the following week’s play.
• I find us a good copy of the text to use for the reading
• I create a Zoom meeting
• I write an email including the Zoom link, the text of the play we’ll be using, and a link to that weeks signup sheet in google docs
• I go through the play text and create a casting chart so that we can assign parts and doubling where necessary (early modern plays have a LOT of characters)
• On Friday or Thursday, Dr. Phillips, Dr. Rowen, and I have a Zoom meeting to divvy up roles
• On Friday, night we all gather

I’ve been a librarian at Villanova for what will be seven years this coming August, and one of the things I have come to value the most about Villanova is its focus on community. In these times of uncertainty and isolation, community is more important than ever, and that is exactly what these play readings are providing for our theatre students, for myself, and for our alumni and faculty who join in.

We get to start out the week knowing there is something to look forward to and to plan for, and on Friday night we get to see each other’s smiling faces and spend a few hours in each other’s company laughing and reading a play.

Sarah Wingo, MA, MSI, is the Liaison Librarian for English Lit, Theatre, and Romance Languages at Falvey Memorial Library.

Just a reminder, no matter whether you’re wrapped up in blankets with your favorite story, sussing out the deep meanings in St. Augustine’s Confessions for your class, or studying a textbook in Old Falvey (as seen here), reading is not canceled.

So, after you text to check in with your friends and family, try self-isolating with your favorite book this weekend.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library, is currently reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (audiobook version, via the Libby app.)

Studies have shown that “sound masking,” or introducing white noise, into completely silent library spaces can help students study or read with less distractions.

Students who need to talk quietly can do so without feeling self-conscious. Nose-in-the-book readers won’t hear every pencil drop either. It’s a win-win, especially with final exams looming.

To help our students, Falvey Memorial Library has introduced white noise machines in the Dugan Polk Reading Room on a trial basis, and the staff welcome your feedback.

So, let us know…to quote Depeche Mode, do you “Enjoy the Silence?”

Comment at the bottom of this post, chat us up on social (Twitter and Instagram), or leave a note in the comment box!

Shawn Proctor is Communication and Marketing Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

With this week’s #TBT picture we are taking it all the way back to the ’60s, when two students took advantage of the quiet atmosphere on Falvey Library’s third floor. Many students have studied in that same spot in the stacks over the years, especially when they have a paper due or finals looming!

This picture was included in the program for Falvey Memorial Library’s dedication ceremony, which took place on Saturday, Nov. 16, 1968. You can view the program in Falvey’s very own Digital Library.