Reading Guides

Reading is a matter of taste: diverse and unique among people, changing over time, varying with mood, and always something that can be developed. Taste in books is hard to explain; there is no single descriptor, genre, setting, writing style, etc. that appeals to everyone. Instead we individually find characteristics in books that appeal, usually for some personal reason at a particular place in space and time, and we seek to find those experiences in more books.

The lists below are crowd-sourced and reflecting of many tastes across the TAS community and among a diversity of students and faculty. Enjoy!

Send your own video or list  to uslibrary@tas.edu.tw 

Ms. Bywater (TAS English Faculty) on Retellings of Romeo & Juliet and Odyssys. 

Ms. Brenda Lin (TAS English Faculty) on Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong and Accidental Asian by Eric Liu. 

Dr. Aiani (TAS US Librarian) introduces Books with setting in India.

Make your own video and email to uslibrary@tas.edu.tw 

Young Adult (YA) Literature

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller / Horror, Humorous, Historical, Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction (SciFi)

Narrative Non-Fiction

How-To Books

Cooking

Self-Help

Anything else you can think of

Finding you next good book....

 using the  "Similar Books" feature,  by Dr. Aiani, TAS
The similar books feature is a quick way to find another book that has common elements to a book or author that you like. 

Finding your next good book using Booklist

Finding your next good book using Novelist

Finding your next good book using the New York Times Reviews of Books

What ebooks can you download or read at TAS on your own device?

Own a Kindle?*
Downloads okay from: Follett eBooks, Overdrive (USA Only), PDF Files
Note: Overdrive restricts Kindle format outside of the USA, but you may download from your USA public library Overdrive account.

Own an Apple IOS iPad/iPone/iPod?
Downloads okay from: Overdrive, Follett eBooks

Own an Android device?
 Downloads okay from: Overdrive, Follett eBooks

Own a Barnes & Noble Nook or Kindle Fire?
Downloads okay from: Overdrive, Follett eBooks

What about your TAS Laptop?
Downloads okay from: Overdrive, Follett eBooks
Note: you can view all other USIC ebooks in your browser. 

* All generations except Kindle Fire. 

"There are two motives for reading a book: one, that you enjoy it, the other that you can boast about it." 
Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happinest (1930)

FAQs....

Need a Book or eBook?
Set the search bar above to "Classic Catalog Search."  This searches only the USIC catalog, so the search results include only books and ebooks owned by TAS.

I see the print book I want in the catalog. Now how do I find the actual book itself?
To find out where the physical, print books are located, look for sublocation in the search results. The call number with the sublocation tell you where to find the book.  To "Request via Kayako" see services in the portal of click here.

Why do the other libraries have more books than the USIC?
Only about 20% of the books owned by the USIC are on the shelves in the USIC. The rest are in other locations. For instance, 16,000+ books are in a book room located in C block below the cafeteria. Some books are on temporary loan to classrooms and some are in a special collection of TAS-affiliated authors in a glass case in the USIC. All of these books are still available for checkout.

The USIC doesn't own the Book/eBook I need? 
Books and ebooks not currently owned or available in the USIC Library may be requested here.