5 Things to Read during Winter Break

Read any good books lately? Well, the winter break may be your chance.

We asked several members of the Tech community for recommendations. The books range from a tale in which a record listening group’s strict rules result in factions and chaos to an edgy trilogy in which much of humanity is wiped out by a virus, and a few colonies hold out against the infected masses.

The Forensic Records Society

By Magnus Mills, Bloomsbury (2017)

“Magnus Mills writes his novels in succinct language, and his protagonists are regular blokes in the U.K. Two friends convince their local pub owner to allow a record listening group to hold meetings in an empty room on Monday nights. However, the strict rules of the club spawn other groups, and chaos ensues. This short novel will require at least two readings: one to understand the plot, and later, to divine the deeper meaning of technology and new connections to others.”

—Isabel Altamirano, Engineering and Chemistry Librarian

Dark Matter

By Blake Crouch, Broadway Books (2016)

“This sci-fi thriller from the writer behind the popular Wayward Pines trilogy plays like a blockbuster movie in your mind with its tightly paced plot and existential scares. Facing a choice early in his professional life, a brilliant physicist could have focused all his energies advancing his career and being celebrated for his genius, but instead he chose to devote himself to the love of his life and build a family with her. But one night that all changes: he’s abducted and sedated by a masked stranger, and when he wakes up he finds the script has been flipped. As he tries to make sense of this alternate reality and searches for his wife and son, he is forced to face the startling ramifications of the path he thought he didn’t follow.”

—Roger Slavens, editor, Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine

The Miracle Morning

By Hal Elrod, Hal Elrod International Inc. (2017)

“For the past several months, I have been recommending The Miracle Morning due to its powerful introduction to an almost fatal accident that was life changing for author Hal Elrod. Through this experience, Elrod introduces the concept of LIFE SAVERS, ‘the most effective, proven practices which combine to make up the Miracle Morning.’ If you are looking for something to help jumpstart the new year, The Miracle Morning is a definite read!”

—Colleen Riggle, assistant dean of students/director of Women’s Resource Center

The Passage

By Justin Cronin, Ballantine Books (2012)

“For those of us who need an edge on all the holiday cheer, I recommend The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. In the series, most of humanity is wiped out by a virus, and only a few colonies hold out against the infected masses. The novels are readable, thrilling, and humane; they’re perfect for long delays at the airport or twenty minutes of stolen peace at home.”
—Liz Holdsworth, STEM Librarian

Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology

By Kentaro Toyama, Public Affairs (2015)

“This star computer scientist designed technology for global development for a decade and came to a surprise conclusion: social innovation and community processes are the solutions to difficult societal problems, not technology. The pervasive cult of technology indoctrinates us with the idea that miraculous new apps or gadgets bring social progress. This technology myopia results in fancy gizmos and repeated failures in sustainable social change. Products don’t solve problems, local people do.”

—Kirk S. Bowman, Associate Chair and Jon Wilcox Term Professor of Soccer and Global Politics, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs