Rutgers Books We Read Works

12th May 2025

Writing Poetry in Library School – Books We Read

Interview with Danielle Pitter, poet, writer and recent SC&I graduate

Writing and editing the Books We Read Blog provides us with a platform to improve our scholarly research and writing, further enhancing our jobs as librarians. Producing meaningful posts that engage audiences on a regular basis also gives us experience with planning, discipline, research, collaboration and communication, as well as time management and of course practicing our writing.
BLD: You maintain your own blog. Tell us a little bit about it. How and when did you start?

9th April 2025

Poetry Reading vs. Writing – Books We Read

There’s such a difference between writing poetry and then reading it aloud. When I’m writing, I’m not paying attention to anything. It’s just me locked away in my room when no one is watching, tucked away either in my bed or at my desk, letting the words flow through me. When I’m writing on my own, my brain goes through a sort of time loop: start, stop, keep going, start, stop, keep going, and it just goes on and on again until I feel I’m completely done.
Both of my books were written in such we...

26th February 2025

James Baldwin and his Lasting Legacy – Books We Read

I must admit that I didn’t know much about James Baldwin or his work before entering the James Baldwin Centennial: Native Son, Global Voice exhibit at Alexander Library. I’d heard of his name and a few works like Go Tell It on the Mountain and If Beale Street Could Talk. It’s probably astounding to a lot of Baldwin fans that I didn’t know him that well. However, as part of my own way to celebrate Black History Month this year, I thought it would be a great idea to educate myself on Baldwin’s inc...

20th November 2024

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, Part 2 – Books We Read

This post is a continuation of my Mid-Year Freakout Book Tag (Part 1), where I share my reading highlights of the year so far.
We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride. This was another book I had read for my 548 class last year, and I thought it was so heartbreaking and sad. It’s about this girl who stays at a psychiatric hospital for her suicidal thoughts and depression. While she’s there, she meets this boy with whom she used to go to high school, who is also dealing with mental issues....

13th November 2024

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, Part 1 – Books We Read

Welcome to this year’s edition of the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, where I share my reading highlights of the year so far. Some reading highlights include favorite books I’ve read, disappointments, surprises, and anticipations from January 2023 – August 2024. Technically, this rule applies to books I’ve read throughout the first half of this year. But I chose to extend the timeframe to include more books because I haven’t read that many books this year.
I wrote about my slow reading journey this...

27th January 2025

How We Read: Read Diverse Books – Books We Read

Welcome to Spring 2025! Let’s continue to read together, one book at a time. In 2022, the Books We Read Blog conducted a series of interviews with contributors and friends of the blog to get a snapshot of our reading habits: the things we like to read, the circumstances in which we read, and more. Revisiting the questions a few years later, here is the first new one.
Danielle Pitter is a published poet and graduate student assistant from the Master of Information Program at the School of Communi...

30th October 2024

Neurodiversity on Campus – Books We Read

The term neurodiversity is often attributed to Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, who first tried to map and name an unknown disability in her thesis in 1998. However, a recent article claims that the concept of neurodiversity was developed collectively, with credits due to the online community of autistic people.
According to a popular working definition published in the Harvard Health blog, neurodiversity “describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them i...

25th September 2024

My Favorite Banned Books from Past Years – Books We Read

Honestly, I don’t know why this week exists. I don’t know why books have been banned and/or challenged every year, month, week, and day of my life. I don’t understand why people can’t just let books be for readers and accept the world for what it is. Books are supposed to reflect the wider society, their characters, and their lifestyles, whether they are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, or speak a different language other than English. Books reflect life in the best way possible, and if “concerned” pare...

28th August 2024

Women’s Equality Day – August 26 – Books We Read

Women’s Equality Day is August 26, the day that women were gained the constitutional right to vote. Technically, the 19th Amendment allowed women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, when it was ratified. In 1971, however, Representative Bella Abzug pushed forward a bill in the U.S. Congress to declare August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day.” The bill says that “the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the w...

31st July 2024

Celebrating the Legacy of Nelson Mandela – Books We Read

July 18 was Nelson Mandela International Day. This post highlights his contributions and continuous legacy. Nelson Mandela International Day celebrates the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, political leader and activist. Mandela’s teachings have encouraged people to make a positive impact in their communities. Mandela’s dedication to nonviolent resistance, even when facing severe oppression, is a philosophy embraced by American civil rights leaders and continues to...

24th July 2024

How I Fell Back in Love with Reading in Grad School – Books We Read

Editor’s note: Welcome our new blogger, Danielle Pitter, published poet and graduate student assistant from the Master of Information Program at the School of Communication & Information at New Brunswick Libraries. Her debut post, an inspiration to read more, follows up on other graduate students’ recommendations on how to keep reading for fun (and sanity) while fulfilling the rigorous requirements of graduate studies.
I’ve read only two books this half-year. Two. Is there something wrong with m...