Month: August 2008

Book of the Day

America’s Nuclear Wastelands! I have nuclear paranoia to the point where you would think I remembered most of the Cold War.  Given that, this book title scare the ever-livin’ out of me.  The book actually does talk about Cold-War era weapons production and how we have to get rid of them. Here’s a quote from the back of the book:

In 2000, it was estimated that $212 billion and 70 years would be required to clean up the nuclear contamination and waste at 113 complexes while closing 4,000 unneeded facilities.

Does that not scare you?!  I suppose different generations have their different fears, but this is certainly an interesting book about environmental issues in the United States.  Here’s a picture to relax you after all of that.

Book of the Day

Muhajababes: Meet the New Middle East – Young, Sexy, and Devout may tell you something you already know.  It may also change your mind about things you thought you knew.  One thing is certain:  Allegra Stratton, who went into her project admittedly ignorant, found out that youth culture in many Middle Eastern nations has found an interesting balance between secular and religious that the West doesn’t always get to see.  For whatever reason this book is picked up, or however you may feel about Stratton’s findings, it is certainly an avenue to open discussions.  JCCC has other books like Heavy Metal Islam, as well as this fiction bibliography, both of which contain interesting perspectives on the Middle East and beyond. Check it out.

ScholarSpace: The Academic’s Place

Today, Judi Guzzy and I announced ScholarSpace, the institutional repository for JCCC. Soon, this space will become populated with journals, conference proceedings, occasional papers, and other documents which represent our collected scholarly output. This is a big step, not just for our library, but for our institution as an academic presence on the Web. To learn more, e-mail me, comment, or sign up at scholarspace.jccc.edu.

Book of the Day

I’m a huge fan of graphic novels, but despite this fact, I’ve never been able to get into Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.  If you’re big on comic books, you are aware how grievous this sin is to most.

That being said, I can say I’ve enjoyed his novels, and the film Stardust is amazing, and today’s book of the day is Dangerous Alphabet, a collaboration with artist Gris Grimly.  The premise?  Two kids and their gazelle sneak out of the house to fight pirates while the narrative’s pacing is controlled by the alphabet.  I don’t know a better way to sell a book to you than giving that description.  If you find the clever campiness of Gaiman to be just camp (and you find that a bad thing), the book is still worth a flip-through for the art alone.  But hey, while you’re looking, check out some of our other great graphic novels!

Book of the Day

The only thing I know about owls is that they’re loud, and back in my previous life on a farm, they would fly out of barns to scare me.  I will be checking out this book, though: Owls of the United States & Canada.  I’m one who believes that birds are creepy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fascinating

Book of the Day

The Codes Guidebook for Interiors is in its 4th edition. This book helps interior designers and architects by giving them a lingo-free look at how to remodel an area or work in undesigned spaces. This is good for design students, but its plain language makes it appropriate for anyone who may have a project, or want to shake up the living room a bit.

Book of the Day

Every day, we’ll peruse our latest entries into the catalog and select a brand new edition to our catalog we find interesting. This week’s is Dying to Live: a story of U.S. immigration in an age of global apartheid.  As the issue of illegal immigration is likely to remain relevant for awhile in the US, this non-fiction piece may be of interest to those with an interest in the topic, or those who may be studying it.