Looking for some reading recommendations for the new year? Former President Barack Obama shared his favorite books of 2022. His recommendations are listed below. All titles are available at Falvey Library through interlibrary loan.

• The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
• Trust by Hernan Diaz
• The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff
• The Furrows by Namwali Serpell
• South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
• The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
• An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
• Liberation Day by George Saunders
• The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
• Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Other lists:

• “The 10 Best Books of 2022” (The New York Times)
• “The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022” (Time)
• “The 10 Best Books of 2022” (The Washington Post)
• “The Best Books of 2022” (The New Yorker)
• “The Best Books of 2022” (NPR)
• “Best Books of 2022” (The New York Public Library)
• “Literary Critics Give Their Takes on the Best Books of 2022” (PBS)

Falvey Library staff shared their reading recommendations last year, if you’d like to add more titles to your “to be read” list.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Enjoying Falvey Library’s Advent Calendar Cookbook? If you’re looking for more recipes, check out this notebook (no date) from author Annie L. Tuttle (nee Gribus), of New Haven, Connecticut. Newly digitized, the Annie L. Tuttle papers are comprised of 13 notebooks filled with Tuttle’s “manuscript writings…poetry, short stories, songs, and recipes, along with a copy of sheet music for ‘The Quinnipiac River,’ a song she composed the lyrics to, and was published in 1912.” Shown above, the page from Tuttle’s notebook features three pudding recipes. Happy cooking, Wildcats!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. 

Hang in there, Wildcats! Finals will be over soon, and you can breathe a sigh of relief and dance (maybe not on any tabletops.) Good luck—You got this! Image courtesy of the 1968 Belle Air (page 23) via the Villanova University Digital Library. Read the full yearbook here.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her finals study tip: Get enough rest!

Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) features the late Robin Williams who performed at Villanova on Saturday, Oct. 4, 1986 for Parents’ Weekend. According to the Villanovan article, written by Elia DiTaddeo, “Williams called his stand-up comedy routine ‘Legalized Insanity.’” Students could purchase $13 or $14 tickets to see the comedy act. Small gifts were also given to Williams before the show, including “a small Villanova sweatshirt for Williams’ son.” Read the full article here. Thinking of watching one of Williams’ films over the holiday? Good Will Hunting is available at Falvey Library (portable DVD players are also available to loan.) The film premiered 25 years ago on Dec. 2, 1997.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change this world.” –Dead Poets Society

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

On November 16, 1968, Villanova celebrated the dedication of Falvey Memorial Library. Yesterday marks 54 years since this historic ceremony. Here is a picture of the program from the event, including information about the Rev. Daniel P. Falvey, OSA, and pictures from the original library at Villanova. Click here to celebrate this great event.

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.

Photo courtesy pf the Villanova University Digital Library.

In 1975, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) was started by Father Ray Jackson and a group of Villanova students. This organization has a deep history at Villanova. This year, HHAW week is Sunday, Nov. 13 to Saturday, Nov. 19. You can donate a meal or enter the raffle to win prizes at this link. This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) is a letter from 1986 that Katie Dean, Chairperson of Run for Hunger, distributed to Villanova faculty.

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a senior Communication major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library. Special Olympic contenders and Villanova Students, November 1987.

This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) celebrates the annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival hosted and organized by Villanova University students. The festival is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world. More than 1,200 athletes will compete at the 34th Fall Festival at Villanova University on November 4-6, 2022. To learn more about Fall Festival visit this webpage.

Ethan Shea, Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library, highlighted additional throwbacks to past Special Olympics on this blog. On Falvey’s third floor, Beaudry Rae Allen, Preservation & Digital Archivist, curated an exhibit containing facsimiles of photographs and programs from the early days of the event.

Best of luck to all the athletes competing this weekend!

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

By Kallie Stahl 

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

Looking for a quick read during fall break? Celebrate spooky season and check out this handbook by A. Anderson. Published in 1898, How To Tell Fortunes by the Hand explains the rules of fortunetelling for readers. Learn more about the art of palmistry—Explore the full manual here.

Don’t miss your chance to see more mystical materials at Distinctive Collections Annual Halloween Event on Monday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. in front of Holy Grounds (First Floor, Falvey Library). On display will be Special Collection’s spookiest material along with a ghoulish game and treats.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Hang in there, Wildcats! Midterms are almost over. Falvey Library has plenty of study space (and a few spots to grab a quick nap). Image courtesy of the 1959 Belle Air Yearbook (page 12).

Read the full yearbook on the Villanova University Digital Library.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.

For this week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT), check out this fall image of Vasey Hall from 1993! The inscription on the side of Vasey Hall reads, “Originally known as the Commerce and Finance Building, this structure was later named for the Augustinian Provincial, Rev. Nicholas J. Vasey, O.S.A., 1918-1926.” Many theater productions were held in Vasey Hall before the new John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2020. Villanova Theatre’s newest show, Men On Boats will be running from Sept. 22 through Oct. 2, so be sure to get your tickets for this comedic satire!

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.