Academia & Publishing

14 Holiday Reads for the Intellectually Curious

The Editors | 08.12.2022

It's the time to fill those quiet winter hours with a good book. If you’re looking for a stimulating holiday read to tickle your brain, we have just the right recommendations for you!

The holidays are around the corner, but you don’t feel like watching “Home Alone” or playing board games with the family? As our gift to you, we’ll put some brainy book recommendations under the tree!

To end the year on an intellectual high note, we’ve curated a cross-section of titles from many different disciplines with a focus on timely subjects.

Enjoy browsing!

1. Viral Lobbying

Michele Crepaz, Wiebke Marie Junk, Marcel Hanegraaff & Joost BerkhoutViral Lobbying: Strategies, Access and Influence During the COVID-19 PandemicBased on surveys and focus group interviews across eight countries, this Open Access book provides new insights into the lobbying strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as their influence on public policy.

2. Women in Historical and Archaeological Video Games

Jane Draycott (ed.)Women in Historical and Archaeological Video GamesWomen are still significantly underrepresented in video games – both as characters and objects of study. In 13 multifaceted chapters, this volume seeks to bridge the gap.

3. Beyond the Voting Rights Act

Gregory T. MooreBeyond the Voting Rights Act: The Untold Story of the Struggle to Reform America’s Voter Registration LawsLeading national voting rights advocate Gregory T. Moore movingly recounts over 30 years of voting rights battles in the United States from the 1980s to the present day.

4. Accelerated Materials Discovery

Phil De Luna (ed.)Accelerated Materials Discovery: How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Speed Up DevelopmentWhat role will computer simulations, data analysis, and robots play in the future of scientific development? Forbes Top 30 under 30 laureate Phil De Luna approaches this question in his newly edited book.

We recently interviewed Phil in one of our book talks – you can find the conversation as a video and podcast here: Phil De Luna on “Accelerated Materials Discovery”.

5. Making Black History

Dominique HaensellMaking Black History: Diasporic Fiction in the Moment of AfropolitanismThis title is one of the winners of our Open Access Book Anniversary competition. It presents an enquiry into contemporary discourses around Blackness, memory and historicity, and about complicated intradiasporic conversations on these matters – skilfully contained as literary texts.

Learn more about author Dominique Haensell, her book and her stance towards Open Access in this short interview.

6. Averting Climate Catastrophe Together

Martin ZapfAverting Climate Catastrophe Together: Framework for Sustainable Development with a Cooperative and Systemic ApproachThere is still a chance to mitigate climate change in a way that avoids catastrophe, says Martin Zapf in his new book, which explores what framework could enable climate action in line with the Paris agreement.

This publication – along with many others on the topic – is also featured on our landing page “360 Degrees: Perspectives on Climate Change”.

7. Medieval Futurity

Will Rogers & Christopher Michael Roman (eds.)Medieval Futurity: Essays for the Future of a Queer Medieval StudiesThe contributors of this collection take the capaciousness of the word “queer” to heart by considering what medieval queers would have looked like and how they may have existed on the margins and borders of dominant, normative sexuality and desire.

8. Fired Up

Mia B. Russell & Girvin LiggansFired Up!The struggle is real, but help is at hand. This guide helps managers gain insight into the causes and consequences of burnout, learn how to assess their work environment and become aware of the conditions that can shift a team from burnout to engagement.

As a sneak peek, check out this blog post by the authors: “Burnout Is Real – Here’s What Leaders Need to Do About It”.

9. Viral Justice

Ruha BenjaminViral Justice: How We Grow the World We WantPart memoir, part manifesto, this book is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day. Published by our partner Princeton University Press.

10. Everyday Religiosity and the Politics of Belonging in Ukraine

Catherine WannerEveryday Religiosity and the Politics of Belonging in UkrainePublished in Open Access by our partner Cornell University Press, this book adds new insights into our understanding of church–state relations in Ukraine as well as the role played by religion in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict.

11. Kältebilder (“Cold Images”)

Matthias Bruhn (ed.)Kältebilder: Ästhetik und Erkenntnis am GefrierpunktThis Open Access book leaves no one cold! The German-language volume from our arts portfolio deals with  “aesthetics and insights at freezing point” (and has a very special cover).

The print cover of “Kältebilder” was printed with thermochromic ink and reacts to different ambient temperatures by changing the color tone. Take a look for yourself!

12. Der fliegende Zirkus der Physik (“The Flying Circus of Physics”)

Jearl WalkerDer fliegende Zirkus der Physik: Fragen und AntwortenLightning, glow-worms, tea cups, and bubbles… In this book, translated into German, Jearl Walker takes up the funniest and most interesting of natural phenomena and provides physical explanations – not in formulas, but in words.

13. Das Gelingen der künstlichen Natürlichkeit (“The Success of Artificial Naturality”)

Olivia Mitscherlich-Schönherr (ed.)Das Gelingen der künstlichen Natürlichkeit: Mensch-Sein an den Grenzen des Lebens mit disruptiven BiotechnologienThis German-language book from our philosophy portfolio stimulates discussion about new forms of human life with disruptive biotechnologies, such as deep brain stimulation. It’s available in Open Access.

Last year we interviewed Olivia Mitscherlich-Schönherr in one of our book talks – you can find the conversation as a video and podcast here: “Olivia Mitscherlich-Schönherr über ‘Das Gelingen der künstlichen Natürlichkeit'” (German).

14. Weihnachtsfilme lesen (“Reading Christmas Movies”)

Andrea Geier, Irina Gradinari & Irmtraud Hnilica (eds.)Weihnachtsfilme lesen: Familienordnungen, Geschlechternormen und Liebeskonzepte im GenreAesthetically, Christmas movies are a transgeneric phenomenon. The contributors of this German-language book by our publisher partner transcript Verlag look at the interrelations of genres such as romantic or fairy tale films with the categories gender, race, and class.

We hope you’ll find a brainy read to your taste that will enrich your holidays!

[Title image by Valentin Antonini via Unsplash]

The Editors

Articles signed by the editors were written in a collective effort.

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