Tag: book_of_the_day

The Only New Item Added Today

The only item we’ve added to our catalog today is a romance called Wedding Season. Here’s the first sentence from the description:

Sarah is a wedding planner hiding a rather inconvenient truth – she doesn’t believe in love.

I think you know where the story goes from there. So if romances are your thing, then it’s your lucky day up in JCCC.  While you’re here, check out other books in the McNaughton Collection: leisure reading on loan to academic institutions.  They’re on the second floor next to the circulation desk (as seen below).

The Audacity This Takes…

So today’s book is a fictional compilation of interviews from an author’s past lovers and friends, so a fictional biographer can piece them together.  The author in question?  John Coetzee.  The real author of this work of fiction?  John Coetzee. Yeah.  I know.

J.M. Coetzee’s Summertime: fiction is an incredible tale about other people trying to find a human side to a man who produced mopey, often shallow or inhumane novels, only to discover the the man who wrote them wasn’t all that sharp or personable. An absolutely incredible work that takes some brass to even write.   It is equal parts self-deprecating, entirely ambiguous with reality, and insane spectacle.  Though it may sound like an over-indulgent and vain work, Coetzee balances his fictional self in a well-evened manner that takes some real self control to accomplish. Audacious? Yes, in the negative way. Brilliant?  Yes, in the most positive of ways.

The Future Freaks Me Out

In a world now without bees, five people in distant parts of the world become the first sting  victims in years, and engage in a prophetic search for the planet’s future. Pulled from the world of drugs, the world of technology, and in one case, The World of Warcraft, a secret militant group apprehends the sting victims as a prophecy unfolds. This is the story in Douglas Coupland’s Generation A.

I’m not gonna lie, this book is pretty crazy. On the other hand, it’s a funny and thoughtful look at technology, society, and pop culture.  Though technically a sequel in theme to the author’s book, Generation X, it can certainly be enjoyed on its own.

Crashing the Party?

One can track a shift in the Republican Party as some members started to focus on issues like homosexuality, Christianity, abortion, abstinence education, or any combination of the aforementioned. Many turned to evangelical church figureheads to be leaders for the party.  The schism this may have created and the reasons why it may have occurred are posited in Max Blumenthal’s Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered a Party. Though it is an examination of many facts, it is also strongly opinionated: Blumental suggests that sexual abuse may have shaped certain key leaders in the movement, and he also works for Media Matters, an organization that montiors the media for bias, but has been accused of leaning left on the political spectrum.

With all the talk on the news about the Republican Party being in what sports teams might call “a rebuilding year,” Republican Gomorrah is an interesting hypothesis about what may have led to it.

Feel-Good Football: You Probably Need It

If you’re a Chiefs fan, which this demographic likely is, you probably need something good related to football. I’m a Bears fan, so I need it, too.

Michael Oher with his adopted parents

Which is why everyone should read The Blind Side (The Evolution of Game), the story of Michael Oher‘s tragic childhood, his adoption by a family in his teen years, and his eventual rise to play in the NFL. It’s a true story that, were it not so publicly documented, would be hard to imagine.

This is why you’ll love this book:

  • The book doesn’t have Sandra Bullock like the movie does
  • The author, Michael Lewis, wrote many other amazing books you’ll become a fan of
  • It is easily the most humbling story to come out of sports recently
  • There are zero mentions of Brodie Croyle

Stories that reflect compassion in sports are always touching, but this really is something even non-sports fans should check out.

If Nicholas Cage Can Do It, So Can You

Acting, directing, producing… gaffing? Do gaffers gaffe? I have no clue.

But you know how you can find out? Check this book we just added: Careers in Media and Film: The Essential Guide by Georgina Gregory and friends.  This book aims to expose readers to all of the different film and media occupations out there, and how to prep yourself to get into these often competitive roles.  A well-rounded resource for all aspiring for jobs in the entertainment field, and also available for check out.

But certainly there’s a career for you if this guy gets work:

I mean, seriously.

Thinking Before You Talk

One thing I noticed in the burbs of Chicago amongst older white teenagers and younger college students was a complete ignorance of latent racism in many comments they would make.  Chicago’s not the only guilty suburban area, and I’m not about to predict what area in the country (or beyond) is the worst. Nor am I going to predict if the blatant racism and prejudice I saw in my rural upbringing is any worse than the hidden or oblivious kind. What I can do is direct you towards and expert person who has written an expert book on the subject: The Everyday Language of White Racism by Jane H. Hill. This book helps identify ways in which social exclusion still occurs, and also provides suggestions on how to help eliminate some of the problem.  It is worth a read, and is, as is everything we feature, available in the JCCC Library.

Tweets in the Workplace

The library has a Twitter feed, and you should follow it!  Provided, you have a Twitter account of your own (or you are RSS savvy).

But maybe you’re curious about Twitter, or maybe you have horrid Twitter etiquette:  I’m looking at you, ladies who retweet everything @diablocody posts! But as with all social networking, there’s professional “rules” on top of the basic ones. For that check out Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends. It is a fantastic guide for not just how to avoid upsetting people, but also how to reach out to the avenues you’re interested in, broadcast to a larger base, and even a little bit about different applications and APIs. So check it out, hit us up, and see what it’s all about.

Japanese Internment Photos in BotD

It is a shameful part of American history often brushed under the rug too easily considering what was happening on enemy soil at the time. Nonetheless, during World War II, following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the United States government thought rounding up everyone of Japanese descent would keep us safe.

Though there is little collected, some material recording this 3+ year forced relocation has survived.  In Moving Pictures: Photography and the Japanese American Incarceration, Jasmine Alinder collects some of these images to present a view from the inside of what was happening. To learn more, also check out Time of Fear in our DVD section.