On My Bookshelf: Holly Lem

Currently reading: I tend to read a few books at a time depending on my mood. Right now, I’m finishing a novel by Sarah Waters called The Paying Guests. I’m in the middle of a graphic novel memoir, Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, and recently started Daniel Siegel’s Brainstorm.

The thing that drew you to it: I think they all cluster around something interesting and psychological, although from very different vantage points.

Favorite book from childhood: The Little Engine That Could

Books you love reading to your two daughters: The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki

Author you think you should read but never seem to get to: Proust

The one book you think all of your Ed School students should read: I would highly recommend Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon. It is a book that looks at difference and diversity primarily through a parent’s lens. It is a fascinating read that captures how complex and elusive identity can be and why it is so important to avoid simple categorizations and facile explanations for such a rich and complicated subject.

Your reading rituals: Usually my reading starts in the wee hours of the night, once the kids are finally in bed.

Favorite spot to curl up with a good book: My absolute favorite place to read is in our antique bed under a wonderfully warm comforter, flanked by my two daughters. Heaven.

Book you'll bring to the beach this summer: That just feels way too far away to even contemplate.