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MCC Daily Tribune

President's Wednesday Message

As the calendar turns to December, the many "best of" lists start to surface. Because much of my reading is done on breaks, I'm always interested in the book lists and try to catch up on titles that I've missed or overlooked.

This year, my personal top three show up on a number of lists, and one even received a National Book Award nomination:

  • Thick, by Tressie McMillan Cottom
  • Say Nothing, by Patrick Radden Keefe
  • Gingerbread, by Helen Oyeyemi

Over the holidays, I'm hoping to read a few that have made others' lists--they represent a mixture of experimental and absurd fiction and a cultural updating of a Jane Austen classic:

  • Ducks, Newburyport, by Lucy Ellmann
  • Ayesha at Last, by Uzma Jalaluddin
  • Orange World and Other Stories, by Karen Russell
  • Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson

Nothing beats a good book on a snowy winter night.

What books made your 2019 "best of" list? Which ones are you still hoping to read? Share your suggestions for holiday reading and gift giving on the blog.

Anne Kress
Office of the President
12/04/2019