The Goodson Blogson

It’s that time of year again! The Goodson Law Library staff are happy to provide another round of summer reading recommendations, both fiction and nonfiction. You can see some of these titles in person at the service desk display this month, along with fun stickers and bookmarks to take with you. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism , by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025). (Request a print copy or e-book !). “The Silicon Valley motto of ‘Move Fast and Break Things’ sounds powerful when we're thinking about work on the cutting edge of technology. But what if one of those ‘things’ ends up being democracy? Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir explores how what they describe as a toxic work culture can spill out, quickly and profoundly, into the culture at large.” –Wickliffe Shreve, Head of Scholarly Services Orbital: A Novel , by Samantha Harvey (2023) . (Request a print copy or e-book !) “Sneaking in at under 150 pages, this elegiac space pastoral beat out 3...

The Duke University Libraries now provide full-text unlimited access to The Atlantic , featuring news and commentary on today's issues as well as a complete online archive of back issues dating back to 1857. To access the subscription, go to https://www.theatlantic.com and click "Sign In." Under "Accessing a group subscription?" select "Sign in through your institution" > Duke University > Continue to sign in via NetID. Links to this access are available on the Duke Libraries A-Z research database list or on the Law Library's Legal Databases & Links page. This access also works with The Atlantic mobile apps for Android and iOS ; be sure to use the "Sign in through your institution" option rather than username/password. In its nearly 200 years of history, many notable authors have published in The Atlantic , including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ernest Hemingway, and Mark Twain. The Atlantic Writers Proje...

Traveling over the winter break? Let the Goodson Law Library staff help you find a book to keep you busy during airport layovers, train trips, or just a relaxing night at home. Below are several recommendations or suggestions from staff members about books we've enjoyed or are looking forward to reading soon – more staff picks will be on display in December at the library's service desk. Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! by Terry Brooks (1986). Request from TRLN! "One of the first exposures I had to lawyers that I remember. There aren't many books that make the leap from lawyer to magical fantasy, but despite the odd scenario, the book still fits an unusual niche for me. For anyone who wondered what it takes for a lawyer to be a king..." –Michael McArthur, Assistant Director, Access and Collection Services Same Bed Different Dreams: A Novel , by Ed Park (2023). Request a print copy! "An epic and off-kilter alternative history of Korea, Same Bed Different Dre...

The Goodson Blogson has been in the holiday gift guide game since 2009 , but we are hardly the first. Last year, we featured excerpts from the Duke Law student newspaper Devil's Advocate containing humorous legal gift suggestions from the 1960s. This year, we stumbled across a legal gift guide with wider reach in the library stacks. Nearly 50 years ago, Juris Doctor , a lifestyle magazine for lawyers published in the 1970s, featured an irreverent last-minute holiday gift guide in its December 1975 issue. Credited to freelance journalist Regina Nadelson (who, best we can tell, went on to greater fame as mystery novelist and nonfiction author Reggie Nadelson ), "Gifts No One Else Will Think Of" featured a grab bag of shopping suggestions, from the thoughtful (vintage bottles of wine, fancy chocolates, autographs of favorite historical figures), to the practical (a "booklite" for reading in bed, a white-noise machine, fine linens), to the aspirational (trips aro...

Whether you're hunting for an audiobook for long commutes or seeking out a perfect beach vacation read, it can be daunting to pick the right title. After all, no one wants to be stuck on a long plane ride with a book that turns out to be a dud! To help you find something good to read this summer, the Goodson Law Library staff are once again sharing their recent recommendations. You can see some of these titles in person at the service desk display this month, along with special summer reading bookmarks. Magic for Beginners: Stories , by Kelly Link (2005). ( Request a print copy or read the e-book !). "Based on the recommendation from a friend and fellow librarian, I began reading this book as an escape from the everyday, and it has not disappointed. Kelly Link's short stories paint of world of magic that lurks behind the mask of the ordinary." –Julie Wooldridge, Research Services Librarian and Senior Lecturing Fellow   The Firm , by John Grisham (1991). ( Borrow...

The end of the semester is almost here! Amid the flurry of final exams and the holiday rush, it might be hard to find time for your perfect winter break book. But a good read can help pass the time on long flights or airport delays, as well as give you a great way to wind down for the night at the end of busy holiday festivities. To help you find something appealing to read before you go, here are seven recommended titles that the Goodson Law Library staff have enjoyed recently. Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall , by Zeke Faux ( Request a print copy   or put a hold on the e-book !) "In this up-close-and-personal account, Faux reveals the highly entertaining and, frankly, horrifying (for human beings and the environment) worlds behind the current crypto scandals. An investigative reporter for Bloomberg, Faux also manages to make abstruse cryptocurrency concepts digestible here. For my fellow legal news junkies looking for a deep dive beyond the FTX/...

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, winter break is a great time to curl up with a good book! We asked the staff of the Goodson Law Library to share some recommended reading – either books they've enjoyed recently or titles they're looking forward to reading next. If you need some inspiration for your to-be-read pile, check out our seven winter 2022 recommendations below. What We Liked Candice Millard, River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile (2022) . ( Request a print copy! ): "A gripping account of adventure, personal rivalry, and innumerable obstacles in the search for the headwaters of the Nile by a formerly enslaved man, a British aristocrat, and the English translator of One Thousand and One Nights and the Kama Sutra . In this epic tale, Millard pulls together the history of British imperialism, literature, science, and geography (not to mention disguises, burrowing beetles, and Dr. Livingstone). I c...

First, the not-so-nice news: with continued disruptions to both the global supply chain and the postal service, holiday shopping will present additional challenges this year. Experts recommend advance planning, especially for expected shipping delays. However, there's still time to find a great holiday gift! Since 2009 , the Goodson Blogson has scoured the internet to find gift ideas that are suitable for the law students and lawyers in your life. Judging by the consistent demand for the library’s sit-stand desks, many law students (and, presumably, lawyers) might also enjoy a similar setup in their home office spaces. If you'd like a copycat model, our sit-stands are the UPLIFT Standing Desk (48" x 30" desktop) with ash gray laminate. However, these desktops can also be customized in about 20 different styles, including a whiteboard laminate. Book stands are another thoughtful gift, although law students will need a larger version to accommodate their heavy cas...

With the 2021 Law School Convocation now behind us, it's time to put summer plans in action. Whether that involves bar exam preparation, a summer associate job, or a fun post-vaccination trip or two, you may want to unwind with a good book occasionally. But with free time at a premium, how can you find a title that you’ll be sure to enjoy? E-book enthusiasts can filter the Duke Libraries Catalog to items "Available Online," or use the separate E-Books Search to locate titles available via Duke. This page also links to the Duke Libraries' eBook FAQ , which provides guidance on using the various electronic publishers' platforms, such as OverDrive, ProQuest, and EBSCO. If you're looking for specific suggestions on what to read next, try NoveList Plus . This database provides reading recommendations and reviews, and is available to current Duke University students, faculty and staff members. (Recent alumni who have a public library card in North Carolina may a...

As the ABA Journal and other news outlets reported this week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a new notice on " Preferred Typefaces for Briefs ." The notice indicated that the court was revising its Handbook of Procedures and Internal Practices "to encourage the use of typefaces that are easier to read and to discourage use of Garamond." Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(a)(5) doesn't encourage or discourage the use of specific fonts in briefs, but does outline general rules for font spacing and size. The D.C. Circuit's new handbook language fleshes out the FRAP requirements with additional guidance: "Certain typefaces can be easier to read, such as Century and Times New Roman. The Court encourages the use of these typefaces. Briefs that use Garamond as the typeface can be more difficult to read and the use of this typeface is discouraged." The announcement quickly sparked chatter on social media , with some attorneys reading the ...

Back in mid-March, it seemed unthinkable that the coronavirus pandemic could possibly stretch into the winter holidays, even as many experts cautioned about the long road ahead. Today, states are reopening slowly, albeit with limitations on public gatherings in order to prevent new spikes in infection rates. With more folks likely to be completing their holiday shopping -- and shipping -- online, it would be prudent to get a head start on planning in order to ensure that your carefully-selected gifts arrive in time. The first (and hopefully last) pandemic edition of the Goodson Blogson's long-running guide to holiday gift ideas for lawyers and law students is here to help. Remote work (and school) is here to stay for at least a while longer, so maybe the lawyer or law student in your life could use an upgrade to their home office setup. Accessories like webcams, microphones, headsets, ring lights, and portable green screens have been in high demand since spring, and backorders a...