Ranger Readers

New Book

2012-01-13T12:15:00.001-06:00

Shaq Uncut: My Story

New Books

2012-01-13T12:05:00.005-06:00

Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President

Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

Zero Day

SAY CHEESE

2012-01-10T12:43:00.000-06:00

New Books

2012-01-10T12:11:00.008-06:00

Drawn in: A Peek Into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists

Getting It Right: Milady's Survival Guide for Cosmetology Students

Fix It! How to Repair Automotive Dents, Scratches, Tears and Stains

Through My Eyes

2012-01-06T15:19:00.004-06:00

Best of Me

by Nicholas Sparks

Sparks' latest is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged,they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined--and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of their mentor, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past.

New Titles

2011-12-08T11:33:00.014-06:00

Chain Lightning

Strangers in paradise . . . - Mandy Blythe is only scared of three things: water, boats, and planes. So she's not best pleased when her interfering boss tricks her into taking an Australian vacation in the company of the womanizing Damon Sutter, who's left a string of broken hearts across several continents. Damon just wants to explore the Great Barrier Reef and keep his association with Mandy strictly business. But the tropics are a different world, and paradise is only a heartbeat away . . .

The Puppy That Came for Christmas: How a Dog Brought One Family the Gift of Joy

All Megan Rix ever wanted was a baby. Yet, month after month, Megan's dreams were dashed. Would her life ever feel complete? Megan and her husband, Ian, found a surprising answer when they began training golden retriever pups to become service dogs for people with disabilities.

I Didn't Ask to Be Born (But I'm Glad I Was)

The world's most beloved funnyman is back with his first humor book since the bestselling "Cosbyology." In this hilarious new collection of observations, Cosby brings us more of his wonderful and wacky insights into the human condition that are sure to become classics. The doctor of comedy holds forth on everything from a game show contestant's confusing origins to a grandchild with a Godzilla infatuation, to his first love Bernadette, and many more delightful digressions.

Kris Jenner . . . and All Things Kardashian
In this thoughtful, candid, and no-nonsense memoir, Kris Jenner is an open book about the good times and the rough patches. She shares the reality of living her hectic life in the celebrity spotlight, touching on topics that will resonate with women everywhere--love, loss, marriage, divorce, motherhood, and faith. Kris talks about her marriages to Olympic champion Bruce Jenner and Robert Kardashian, the late father of her four oldest children--and how it was Bruce who finally helped end the Kardashians' messy divorce so they could all move forward as a family. She writes with candor and vivid insider detail about her close friendships with Nicole Brown Simpson and O.J. Simpson, as well as Nicole's murder, its aftermath, and the infamous trial. She also puts her oftencontroversial parenting style under the microscope as she relates the details of her decision to make her charming family into an international brand with a blockbuster reality television franchise.

This Is Herman Cain!: My Journey to the White House
Growing up poor in the segregated South, Cain describes how he pulled himself out of the depths of poverty and became successful the old-fashioned way. His strong beliefs and values have helped him in his career and personal life, and he reveals his self-made secrets in this memoir.

How to Talk about Hot Topics on Campus: From Polarization to Moral Conversation

Fills a gap in the student services and teaching and learning literature by providing a resource that shows how to construct and carry out difficult conversations from various vantage points in the academy. It offers a theory-to-practice model of conversation for the entire college campus that will enable all constituencies to engage in productive and civil dialogue on the most difficult and controversial social, religious, political, and cultural topics."

Campus Life

2011-09-09T10:23:00.006-05:00

Annotation: "How to Survive Your Freshman Year" offers incoming college freshmen the experience, advice, and wisdom of their peers: hundreds of other students who have survived their first year of college and have something interesting to say about it.

Annotation: Written by two award-winning professors, this guide is loaded with insider information that only professors know--but few are willing to reveal. The over 600 tips are quick and easy-to-use, and the advice is friendly and supportive.

Annotation: A must-have for every young woman headed off to college, this comprehensive guide to personal safety covers everything from daily life to more serious threats on campus. Safety expert and speaker Kathleen Baty offers young women essential advice for protecting themselves in the dorm, at parties, on Facebook, during spring break, and while studying abroad. She also advises on sexual harassment, domestic violence, and self-defense. Written in a friendly, accessible tone, and packed with checklists, personal anecdotes from students, safety secrets, and invaluable resources, College Safety 101 is the handbook every college student needs on her nightstand, and a priceless gift for high school grads.

Annotation: Written by students, for students, this guide shows freshmen how to get through their first year with flying colors.

Annotation: This follow-up and supplement to "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Algebra, Second Edition" is ideal for students who want all the help they can get, or as a stand-alone workbook for those already familiar with algebra who just want additional practice problems to test their knowledge.

Annotation: A values-based guide to navigating that critical first year of college that speaks to students in their own language and offers practical tools that readers need to keep from drinking, sleeping, or skipping their way out of college.

Annotation: A complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from Grammar Girl, a.k.a. Mignon Fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, was a New York Times bestseller. For beginners to more advanced students, this guide covers it all: the parts of speech, sentences, and punctuation are all explained clearly and concisely with the warmth, wit, and accessibility Grammar Girl is known for. Pop quizzes are scattered throughout to reinforce the explanations, as well as Grammar Girl's trademark Quick and Dirty Tips--easy and fun memory tricks to help with those challenging rules. Complete with a writing style chapter and a guide to the different kinds of writing--everything from school papers to letter writing to e-mails--this guide is sure to become the one-stop, essential book on every student's desk.

Pics During National Library Week

2011-04-15T11:45:00.007-05:00

Senator Robert Jackson and Director Maggie Moran

William Maze was the first faculty member to check out a book.

Dan Smith and Ed Carroll browsing through the new collection of books specifically for faculty and staff.

HOW TO STUDY

2011-02-06T17:48:00.009-06:00

ANNOTATION: By reading 101 Ways to Make Studying Easier and Faster for College Students, you can improve the effectiveness of your studying. In this new book, you will learn how to make a study schedule, how to design an effective study environment, how to read for comprehension, how to get organized, how to find your learning style, how to take notes during lectures, how to listen better in class, how to use reference sources, how to boost your concentration, how to stay motivated, how to review and edit your notes, and how to increase reading comprehension. You will learn effective note taking strategies, where to study, when to study, time management skills, strategies for reading novels and text books, memorization techniques, and organizational skills.

ANNOTATION: "The Study Skills Guide" covers the essential skills that lead to success at university. With advice on how to work efficiently and achieve great results, this comprehensive guide offers practical and proven ways to cope with the challenges you will face. Designed to help you achieve important goals, it offers vital advice on how to the get the best out of your study, including advice on revision and exam techniques; tips on note-taking and writing good essays and dissertations and guidance on how to impress with presentations. With free online downloadable resource material, this essential guide provides a firm foundation to your time at university and a catalyst to success in everything from working with academic staff and getting the most from lectures, to writing good essays fast.

ANNOTATION: This book provides you with key information you need to study successfully in any situation, answering questions such as:
What are the three modes of learning, and which one is right for me? How important is preparation in studying? How can I improve my memory and concentration? Why is goal setting important? What study tools can I use to improve my studying? How should I study for exams?

Surviving College

2011-01-13T15:29:00.016-06:00

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ANNOTATION: From the day you set foot on campus until the day you wear a cap and gown, get advice from a source you can trust: the expert team of all-star college students and recent grads behind U Chic. This indispensable college resource has everything you need to know, including: Getting Started,Sharing Space, Healthy and Happy, Sorority Chic, Love Life, and Head of the Class. This book by Christie Garton is the complete guide for any girl looking to live a fabulous college life!

378.198 N873H c.1

ANNOTATION: How to Survive Your Freshman Year is jammed-packed with fun tips and short, entertaining stories from student peers on everything from what to take to college, the pros and cons of living on campus and off, best times and places to study, getting along with roommates, dating, partying, and making friends for life. The book’s short and funny, real-world tips from other college students makes it an entertaining and quick read.

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ANNOTATION: Mixing practical counsel with witty insights, he instructs prospective college freshmen on the real deal about class enrollment, dorm selection, living on campus, roommates, study habits, distractions, and grade stress. A little treasure for worried teens.

248.834 S933B

ANNOTATION: Student to Student is a collection of reflections that takes an honest look at the most common pitfalls and opportunities that life on campus affords. Written by college students from over 20 Christian and secular institutions, each entry opens a window into real-life campus experiences.

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ANNOTATION: Dorm life offers you a great chance to meet new people and try new things. But leaving the comforts of home for the first time to enter the roommate-having, small-room-sharing,possibly-coed-bathroom-using world of the dorms can be overwhelming and intimidating.The College Dorm Survival Guide offers expert advice and the inside scoop on:

• Choosing the right residence hall for you

• Getting along with your roommate (and handling conflict)

• Bathroom, laundry, and dining hall survival

• Dealing with stress, depression, and safety issues

From avoiding the dreaded Freshman 15 to decorating your space, this informative and funny guide gives experts' advice on everything you need to know to enjoy dorm living to the fullest.

Ranger Readettes!

2010-11-21T15:06:00.000-06:00

We didn't use this for the newspaper b/c someone has bare feet!

*blush*

NEW BOOKS

2010-10-19T12:15:00.021-05:00

Annotation: A career expert helps job seekers find their perfect career by using their personality type.

Annotation: Andrew Roberts' "Thinking Student's Guide to College" helps students take charge of their university experience by providing a blueprint they can follow to achieve their educational goals--whether at public or private schools, large research universities or small liberal arts colleges.

Annotation: The updated saga of the state's monster football rivalry .

Annotation: Former Secretary of State Rice reveals for the first time her childhood growing up in Birmingham, Alabama--the story of a young woman trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world and of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community, that made all the difference.

Annotation: On July 16, 2009, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was mistakenly arrested for attempting to break into his own home, and the ensuing media firestorm ignited debate across the country. Ogletree uses this incident as a lens through which to explore issues of race, class, and crime, with the goal of creating a more just legal system for all.

Annotation: In this practical guide, readers learn everything from the different parts of speech to why effective writers prefer concrete nouns and active verbs. "The Glamour of Grammar" gives readers all the tools they need to take advantage of grammar to perfect their use of English.

Annotation: Most of Lucado's books encourage readers to get on their knees and pray. This one asks them to roll up their sleeves and act. Using the first acts of the apostles as his foundation, Lucado inspires individuals to find their call and purpose in service to others.

Annotation: A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian returns with a groundbreaking comparative study of the dynamics and pathologies of war in modern times.

Annotation: As Cumings eloquently explains, for the Asian world the Korean War was a generations-long fight that still haunts contemporary events. He shares the neglected history of occupation of Korea and the untold stories of bloody insurgencies and rebellions in that divided land.

Annotation: "The Last Gasp "takes us to the dark side of human history in the first full chronicle of the gas chamber in the United States. In page-turning detail, award-winning writer Scott Christianson tells a dreadful story that is full of surprising and provocative new findings. First constructed in Nevada in 1924, the gas chamber, a method of killing sealed off and removed from the sight and hearing of witnesses, was originally touted as a "humane" method of execution.

Annotation: Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, "Room" is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Annotation: "New York Times"-bestselling author Lee Child's latest thriller is a ticking time bomb of suspense that builds electric tension on every page. A bus accident lands Jack Reacher in a small South Dakota town, where a single witness is the only hope police have to convict a brutal crime ring. Reacher is enlisted to protect the witness against all comers.

Annotation: In the latest enchanting novel from "New York Times"-bestselling author Allen, two very different women discover how to find their places in the world--no matter how out of place they feel.

Annotation: Number 1 "Blackboard" bestselling author Wesley's sassy private investigator Tamara Hayle--called smart, sexy, tough but tender by the "Houston Chronicle"--is back to confront the one case she never saw coming as a long-forgotten secret turns into a terrifying confrontation with love gone bad and trust turned lethal.

Surviving English Composition!!!!!!!

2010-08-25T15:15:00.016-05:00

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A clear, entertaining, and just plain helpful guide to the American rules of punctuation.

808.042 S587S

Guidelines for correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and much more

808.027 L767D

Learn how to prepare citations, avoid plagiarism, and achieve real academic success

THESE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY FOR CHECKOUT

It's a Partee in the Library!

2010-04-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

Ka-Blam! Yes, I Can! Dewey Decimal System!

2010-04-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

Resisting the Urge to Procrastinate on This Book

2010-03-11T08:37:00.002-06:00

• Keep this book out in the open. If you can see it, you are more likely to read it.
• Don’t set an unrealistic goal about reading it, such as that you will read it all this week or this month or you will read it before you do anything else.
• Plan to read only a page at a time.
• Keep it handy. Read it only during television commercials.
• Read it while you eat your lunch.
• Keep it in the bathroom and read it when you have time to spare.
• Don’t tell yourself that you “have to” read it. Tell yourself that you want to read it.

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Things Done
by Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD

NEW BOOKS

2010-01-21T17:02:00.011-06:00

What Southern Women Know

(That Every Women Should)

Micheal Jackson Before He Was King

How to Find A Job on Linkedln, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace And Other Social Networks

Barack And Michelle : Portrait Of An American Marriage

Helen Thomas:Front Row At The White House

Literary Life: A Second Memoir

CLUTTER RESCUE! JUST MINUTES A DAY TO GET ORGANIZED-FOREVER

2009-10-29T19:49:00.006-05:00

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Foreword: This book is for anyone who has spent 20 minutes looking for the remote, moved homework to put dinner on the table, searched high and low for that favorite sweater-only to find it crumpled under a stack of dirty clothes-or missed paying a bill on time because it was stuffed in a junk drawer.

I have an issue with clutter. I have never been an organized person. However, I did attempt to organize my closet after an assignment in my "organization of information" class. It did not last very long... me applying these principles. So when I saw this book a couple of weeks ago, I took it home but it took some days before I looked through the pages of it. Chapter 2 was a major interest for me because my bedroom is where I live. It is too small for what I do. I have a computer and computer desk in my bedroom. This takes up a lot of space. And, there are tons of written papers, past assignments, and articles that I am holding on to until I take my "proficiency exam" next summer. So, I definitely needed some advice on how to de-clutter my bedroom.

TIPS THAT I AM USING:

STORAGE IN STYLE: I AM USING MY LUGGAGE TO STORE SEASONAL CLOTHES. PERHAPS, I CAN FORGO MY MONTHLY STORAGE BILL WHICH IS MAINLY BECAUSE OF CLOTHES.
THE CLOTHES QUESTION: I HAVE MORE THAN I CARE TO MENTION. MOST OF THEM ARE TOO SMALL THAT ARE HANGING IN MY CLOSET AND IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE I HAVE WORN THEM.
THE CLOSET RULES: I AM TRYING TO HANG LESS CLOTHES AND USE SOME OF MY AVAILABLE DRAWERS. ALSO, I AM TRYING TO KEEP MY SHIRTS, JEANS, AND SKIRTS TOGETHER. HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL ELIMINATE SOME OF MY GET READY FOR WORK STRESS.
SIMPLE UNDER BED BOXES: GREAT FOR MY PILES OF PAPERS ON MY COMPUTER DESK.

IT'S OK IF YOU'RE CLUELESS

2009-10-08T20:03:00.011-05:00

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Last week, as I was searching for a book in the stacks, I gravitated toward the most wonderful little book. It is a must read for parents and students. Terry McMillan is hilarious with 23 commonsense tips for the college bound. Students, if you are interested in reading something with humor along with gaining some insight about college life, I ask you to read this book. It is only 64 pages. Some of the little chapters that I enjoyed are the following:

Chapter 4: Read Anything and Everything

Chapter 6: Let The Insides Match Your Outsides

Chapter 9: Success Should Not Be Based On Fame or How Much Money You Make

You Are What You Eat

2009-10-01T19:36:00.005-05:00

I was amazed at the information that this book contained. We need to be more aware of what we put into our bodies. For years, I have been wondering WHY I feel a certain way after I eat something or perhaps WHAT I could eat to help a health issue that I was having. I promise that this book will answer many common questions that we go to the doctor for. This book is written by an internationally acclaimed nutritionist and it contains information on food that stress and de-stress, top energy foods, pms & hormonal issues, supplement for weight loss, skin care, naughty foods, good and bad sweets, recipes, etc.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

GREAT READS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

2009-08-19T19:12:00.021-05:00

As a college student, there will be many challenges. And you will need to be prepared on how to deal with them. Below are a few books of the many books that we have available for check out at the library. They cover an array of information that deals with being a student.

Making the grade with A+DD : a student's guide to succeeding in college with attention deficit disorder.

College Rules! How to study, survive, and succeed in college.

The smart student's guide to healthy living: how to survive stress, late nights and the college cafeteria.

Career Wisdom for College Students.

Read Welty!

2009-04-12T22:39:00.003-05:00

April 13,1909

Whoa ~ Slow Down!

2009-02-13T09:02:00.000-06:00

Gifted Hands: the Ben Carson Story

2009-02-12T17:03:00.012-06:00

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If you missed the movie"Gifted Hands" on TNT, last Saturday, read this synopsis about the book which is just as inspiring.

Gifted Hands by and about Ben Carson, M.D., is the inspiring story of an inner-city kid with poor grades and little motivation, who, at age thirty-three, became director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.

Gifted Hands will transplace you into the operating room to witness surgeries that made headlines around the world, and into the private mind of a compassionate, God-fearing physician who lives to help others. In 1987, Dr. Carson gained worldwide recognition for his part in the first successful separation of Siamese twins joined at the back of the head -- an extremely complex and delicate operation that was five months of planning and twenty-two hours of actual surgery, involving a surgical plan that Carson helped initiate.

Gifted Hands reveals a man with humility, decency, compassion, courage, and sensitivity who serves as a role model for young people (and everyone else) in need of encouragement to attempt the seemingly impossible and to excel in whatever they attempt. Dr. Carson also describes the key role that his highly intelligent though relatively uneducated mother played in his metamorphosis from an unmotivated ghetto youngster into one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the world.

A Mercy

2009-02-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

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A powerful tragedy distilled into a jewel of a masterpiece by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Beloved and, almost like a prelude to that story, set two centuries earlier.

In the 1680s the slave trade was still in its infancy. In the Americas, virulent religious and class divisions, prejudice and oppression were rife, providing the fertile soil in which slavery and race hatred were planted and took root.

Jacob is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh north. Despite his distaste for dealing in “flesh,” he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, “with the hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady.” Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master’s house, but later from a handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved.

There are other voices: Lina, whose tribe was decimated by smallpox; their mistress, Rebekka, herself a victim of religious intolerance back in England; Sorrow, a strange girl who’s spent her early years at sea; and finally the devastating voice of Florens’ mother.

A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

Acts of mercy may have unforeseen consequences. -----Publisher Comment

Pilot A Hero To Librarians, Too!

2009-02-03T08:20:00.003-06:00

By Jennifer Rogers News Producer
Published: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 - 5:37 am

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is every librarian's hero, too. The US Airways pilot splash landed his jetliner in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, and everyone on board escaped safely. But left in the cargo hold was a book Sullenberger had checked out from California State University, Fresno, through his local library near Danville. Library officials say Sullenberger asked for an extension and waiver of overdue fees. The pilot and his spokeswoman didn't return messages seeking comment yesterday. The librarians say they were struck by Sullenberger's sense of responsibility and did him one better: they're waiving all fees and dedicating the replacement book to him.

The book's subject?

Professional ethics.

How to Start the Semester Right

2009-01-22T00:15:00.000-06:00

By Tara Kuther, Ph.D., About.com

The most effective way to ensure success in classes -- learning and getting good grades -- is to prepare early and often. Most students recognize the value of preparation in ensuring excellent class performance. Prepare for each class, each test, each assignment. Preparation, however, begins before the first reading assignment and first class. Prepare for the semester and you'll be off to a great start. So, how do you start the semester right? Get into the proper mindset by following these three tips.

Plan to work. Colleges - and faculty - expect you to put in a significant amount of time over the course of the semester. At the undergraduate level, a 3 credit course generally meets for 45 hours during the semester. In most cases you are expected to put in 1 to 3 hours for every hour of class time. So, for a class that meets 2.5 hours a week, that means you should plan to spend 2.5 to 7.5 hours outside of class preparing for class and studying the material each week. You likely won't spend the maximum time on every class every week - it's a big time commitment! But recognize that some classes will require relatively little prep and others may require additional hours of work. In addition, the amount of time you spend on each class will vary over the semester.

Get a head start. This one is simple: Begin early. Read ahead. Try to stay one reading assignment ahead of class. First, this permits you to see the big picture. Readings tend to build on each other and sometimes you may not realize that you don't understand a particular concept until you encounter a more advanced concept. Second, reading ahead gives you wiggle room. Life sometimes gets in the way and we fall behind in reading. Reading ahead permits you to miss a day and still be prepared for class. Likewise, start papers early. Papers nearly always take longer to write than we anticipate, whether it's because we can't find sources, have a hard time understanding them, or suffer from writer's block. Start early so that you won't feel pressed for time.

Mentally Prepare. Get your head in the right place. The first day and week of classes can be overwhelming with new lists of reading assignments, papers, exams, and presentations. Take the time to map out your semester. Write down all classes, due dates, exam dates. Think about how you will organize your time to prepare and get it all done. Plan time off and time for fun. Think about how you will maintain motivation over the semester - how will you reward your successes? By mentally preparing for the semester ahead you put yourself in the position to excel.

Books On President Barack Obama

2009-01-21T16:39:00.013-06:00

The library has books on President Barack Obama for those interested in reading them.

According to Amazon, President Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, is a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.

Can you Imagine Us?

2008-12-28T10:37:00.000-06:00

He's Just Not That Into You

2008-12-09T18:00:00.003-06:00

Publishers Weekly gave this synposis, "It’s a classic single-woman scenario: you really like this guy, but he’s giving mixed messages. You make excuses, decide he’s confused, afraid of commitment. Behrendt, a former executive story editor for Sex and the City—and a formerly single (now happily married) guy who knows all the excuses—provides a simple answer: he’s just not that into you. Stop kidding yourself, let go and look for someone else who will be. After all, as Behrendt sensibly puts it, "if a (sane) guy really likes you, there ain’t nothing that’s going to get in his way." If you’re not convinced yet, by all means read this smart, funny and surprisingly upbeat little book, full of q’s and a’s covering every excuse woman has ever made to avoid admitting to herself that a man just wasn’t that smitten with her."

Holiday Books- 100 Notable Books of 2008

2008-12-01T18:57:00.009-06:00

New York Times has released the 100 Notable Books of 2008. Any of these books would be a great holiday gift. We have several of these fictions and nonfiction books at the library. Below are a few of the books that we have available:

DELTA BLUES: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music. By Ted Gioia. (Norton, $27.95.) Gioia’s survey balances the story of the music with that of its reception.
THE DRUNKARD’S WALK: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. By Leonard Mlodinow. (Pantheon, $24.95.) This breezy crash course intersperses probabilistic mind-benders with profiles of theorists.
LUSH LIFE. By Richard Price. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.) Chandler — and Bellow, too — peeps out from Price’s novel, in which an aspiring writer cum restaurant manager, mugged in the gentrifying Lower East Side of Manhattan, himself becomes a suspect.
INDIGNATION. By Philip Roth. (Houghton Mifflin, $26.) Marcus Messner is a sophomore at a small, conservative Ohio college at the time of the Korean War. The novel he narrates, like Roth’s last two, is ruthlessly economical and relentlessly deathbound.
AMERICAN WIFE. By Curtis Sittenfeld. (Random House, $26.) The life of this novel’s heroine — a first lady who comes to realize, at the height of the Iraq war, that she has compromised her youthful ideals — is conspicuously modeled on that of Laura Bush.
THE BLUE STAR. By Tony Earley. (Little, Brown, $23.99.) The caring, thoughtful hero of Earley’s engrossing first novel, “Jim the Boy,” is now 17 and confronting not only the eternal turmoil of love, but also venality and the frightening calls of duty and war.
THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO: An American Family. By Annette Gordon-Reed. (Norton, $35.) Gordon-Reed continues her study of the relationship between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson.
THE FOREVER WAR. By Dexter Filkins. (Knopf, $25.) Filkins, a New York Times reporter who was embedded with American troops during the attack on Falluja, has written an account of the Iraq war in the tradition of Michael Herr's “Dispatches.

How to Ace the Last Month of the Semester

2008-11-20T19:49:00.010-06:00

According to Professors Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman, here are 20 tips for taking control of your courses—and your life—during the crucial last month of the semester:

1. Plan to work harder. You might be used to thinking of college as a two- or three-day-a-week job. No more. Come the last month, you'll need to turn it up a notch—or for some, a number of notches—to get done what you need to get done.

2. Triage your preparation. Now that time is at a premium, devote most of your time to the reading that really counts. And ditch the reading that's just for general background, additional detail, or mere enjoyment (don't even think about recommended reading). By now, you should know whether the reading is really doing any work or is merely filling (or wasting) time.

3 . Don't blow off the classes. Because you'll get more out of the professor's one-hour lecture than out of three hours of studying on your own, you'd have to be a bonehead to cut any of the last month's worth of classes. Besides, the closer you get to the final, the more likely the prof's going to drop hints in lecture about what's going to be on the final and how best to study for the final.

4. Try the homework. Professors are prone to putting homework questions, or variants of homework problems, on the tests. Don't trade short-term time saving for long-term point loss. And don't skip out on any quizzes, either. These, too, furnish fodder for exams.

5 . Look for the structure. Every course has a "plot" or direction of argument—both from lecture to lecture and within individual lectures. Search for it. The better you are at figuring out the plot, the more efficiently you'll be able to study, because you'll focus on all, and only all, the central points. Look to the syllabus, the sequence of your notes, and any verbal clues the professor gives for the key points.

6. Don't do "make work" activities. Some students are tempted to copy over their notes, go over the readings, visit other sections, and listen to the lectures again on their iPod. That's a regular three-ring circus. Resist these temptations. Such extraneous activities make you think you're doing something when what you're really doing is putting off something else: your papers and tests.

7. Take advantage of "high value" extras. Review sessions, study guides, sample tests, and extra office hours are all designed to help you increase your chances of doing well. Relatively small time investments, big payoffs. A no-brainer.

8. Cuddle up to the TA . Teaching assistants are especially willing to help in the last few weeks of the semester. They feel sorry for you and are probably having to take finals and prepare for exams themselves (so they understand what you're going through). What's more, they haven't yet built up the defenses of a broken-in (or broken-down) professor, so they're more likely to tell you what's really going to be on the exam. An incredible time-saver.

9. Phone a friend. Hopefully one smarter than you who is willing to form a "study group" with you. Talking through the material will not only help you internalize it better, you might even get new insights, which will help you with your test or paper.

10. Consider campus resources. The writing center, tutoring program, or academic advancement center might be exactly what you need to light a fire under your ass, now that your ass is on the line.

AND THERE ARE MORE HERE

Additional tips are available at the Professors'Guide website.

Get The Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet

2008-11-18T18:14:00.005-06:00

What a wonderful book! It provides insight on sugar that I was unaware of. As I continue to read this book, I am realizing that my eating habits are horrible. Sugar is hidden in so many foods which are not even imaginable. And, to control my craving of sugar is not an easy task to accomplish. This is why this book is so wonderful to read. It discusses the most simple ways to cut sugar out of any diet. It provides the basic tips on low sugar shopping, cooking, and dining out, and brand-new information on the truth about artificial sweeteners. Here are a few of the tips in the book:

Cereals are one of the top places you need to watch for sugars. Look for cereals that are whole-grain with 3 grams of sugars or less per serving if possible.
In 1 cup of milk there's 11 grams of sugars, so go easy using it.
Hold the salt for a couple of reasons. First, too much salt in the diet can cause sugar craving.
Pass up the ketchup, a little something that seems so innocent but is really a sugar monger in disguise. In fact, ounce for ounce, ketchup has more sugar in it than ice cream!
Avoid eating sweets between meals. Try instead more substantial mini-meals.
Granola may seem like a health food, but its sugar content often puts it in the same league as many desserts.
A cooked sweet potato is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Full of fiber and nutrients, sweet potatoes also have another unexpected advantage: They rank only 48 on the glycemic index.
Eating your baked potato with a little butter, high-quality oil, sour cream, or low-fat cream cheese is better for your blood sugar than eating it plain. This is because it is a very high inducer of insulin. But, eating fat or protein with your potato will slow down the insulin response and keep your blood sugar steadier.
Diet drinks are dangerous and definite no-nos even when you are trying to avoid sugar. Not only are aspartame-sweetened drinks believed to deplete the body of chromium, a mineral important for proper blood sugar functioning, but storing these drinks in hot places may cause the aspartame in them to break down into toxic chemicals that can cause a multitude of health problems.

Additionally, the book has holiday coping strategies, desserts made with fabulous fruits, satisfying cookies, soup basics, meaty matters, and how to be menu savvy when eating out.

DO YOU KNOW THE FIVE LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION?

2008-11-06T20:01:00.009-06:00

Last year, I attended the two-day "I Promise" marriage seminar with Dr. Gary Smalley in Memphis and enjoyed it thoroughly. I felt sort of uncomfortable going since I was single. But after listening to what he had to say the first night, I knew that I needed to be there. This was something that I could apply in my life immediately with my family and friends. What raised my level of interest was his discussion about the five levels of communication. Communication is required to keep intimacy in the relationship. According to the book, Secrets to Lasting Love, the five levels of intimate communication are the following:

Sharing cliches with each other: This is surface talk. You are engaging in almost meaningless chatter. For instance, "Hey, how are you, how are you doing?", asks one spouse, "Okay, great, no problem," replies the other. Guess what, you can do this with a stranger so make an effort to do more in your relationship.
Sharing facts with each other: You are talking about the weather, the office, what's going on with your friends. This is safe talk because it is not requiring deep breathing, thinking, or feeling. Guess what, you can do this with a stranger so make an effort to do more in your relationship.
Sharing opinions with each other. This includes discussing individual opinions, concerns, and expectations. This is where conflict occurs because of the differences in opinions, concerns, and expectations. The conflict normally comes from the differences in the upbringing. At this level, the relationship is vulnerable.

Did you know that most couples only get to the second and third level of communication?

Sharing your deepest and truest feeling with each other. At this level, you help each other feel safe to share your deepest thoughts and emotions. There is an understanding between the two of you that efforts will be made to listen to one another.
Sharing your most important relational NEEDS with each other. This is the deepest level of communication that can be achieved in a relationship. You feel safe with this person to reveal your unique needs with each other.

This information was profound to me. It helped me get through some of my troubled friendships. So, regardless if it is a romantic or no-romantic relationship, the way to get to know someone is through communication. Communicators need to be open and honest with one another...not afraid to reveal who they are to each other.

Personality Plus: How To Understand Others By Understanding Yourself

2008-10-23T19:14:00.010-05:00

Sanguine, Melancholy, Phlegmatic, Choleric

Do these names mean anything to you? These are personality types that characterize who we are. I never knew which one I was until reading this book. I was amazed to find out so much about myself and others. It revealed to me why I am so bothered by some people and why I get along so well with others. This book revealed to me also how to deal with other personalities successfully. And, how I would be as a parent, a co-worker, a friend, and I even gain a better understanding of my emotions after knowing my personality type.

The self-test in the book revealed that I am a Choleric/Phlegmatic person. I agree because for years I have been goal-oriented and not easily discouraged. And, I am a very peaceful, easygoing and relaxed person. However, I must admit though that I have become balanced in some areas that does not characterize a Phlegmatic person. Growing into a mature person, I have revolved into a more balanced person which reflects some characteristics of a Melancholy and a Sanguine as well.

I suggest that you read this book and take a personality assessment test to find out your personality profile.

The Well-Educated Mind

2008-10-06T19:18:00.013-05:00

I enjoy reading, but some books are more difficult to read than others. Books in literature are the most challenging for me. Yet, this book, The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (028.9 B344W) by Susan Wise Bauer, a professor at the College of Williams and Mary in Virginia, presents some strategies on how to read any genre. She shares the art of reading. And, at the end of each chapter is an annotated list of books to read to see if the techniques were mastered.

Friday Fun!

2008-09-26T09:48:00.002-05:00

Do You Savage Chicken?

Overcoming Life's Disappointments

2008-09-17T20:24:00.009-05:00

Rabbi Harold Kushner writes in his book, Overcoming Life’s Disappointments (296.74 K970), Moses triumphs were spectacular, but his frustrations and disappointments must have been searing. How did he do what he did? What depth of faith enabled him to cope with the disappointments? What can we learn from his story so that we too can do meaningful things in our own lives? "Will we, like Moses, be able to hear the commanding voice of God in the bleakest of surroundings, summoning us to be more than we ever thought we could and promising to be with us as we try to do that? And will we, like Moses, have the devotion to pick up the broken pieces of our most cherished dreams and carry them with us as we face our future?"

If you are looking for a book to help you deal successfully with disappointments in your life, try this book. Through the life of Moses, Kushner proves that we can overcome life's disappointments. This book is inspiring and offers spiritual wisdom.

The Last Lecture

2008-09-08T17:33:00.005-05:00

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Professor, Carnegie Mellon (004.092 P334L)

How would you feel if your doctor calmly explained to you that he would no longer be working to save your life but only to extend your time on earth? This was the situation for Randy Pausch and his family. He had pancreatic cancer which has the highest morality rate of any cancer. However, he did not allow his illness to rob him of enjoying his last days. He lived life to the fullest and he gave his last lecture which was AWESOME...based on really achieving his childhood dreams.

What was inspiring about this book to me was that Randy saw the positive in all negatives. He took his learned experiences and shared them with us. He offered great advice for us to use in our life whether at work or at home. Below are some of the inspiring messages in the book:

People are more important than things.
Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something.
In marriage, there will be dents and gashes and it's OK. Not everything needs to be fixed.
No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse. At the same time, it is often within your power to make them better.
Focus on each day rather than the negative things down the road. It's not helpful if we spend every day dreading tomorrow.
Do not obsess over what people think because it decreases your effectiveness of living.
Look for the best in people.

The book just continued with great cliches and stories which will surely capture your heart. Randy Pausch will be missed.

Starr Reviews - The Unnatural History of the Sea

2008-09-08T11:35:00.011-05:00

If you need something to bring you back down to earth, read The Unnatural History of the Sea (909.09 R643U) by Callum Roberts. The book is all about how the 18th and 19th century British, Americans and other European/Euro-American people decimated all forms of fish, turtles, sea mammals and the whole plant and animal ecosystems they belonged to.

The new, unhunted oceans had unbelievable amounts of wildlife; many species were made extinct in 50 or 100 years of overexploitation. It is written largely from a British perspective, but since the sea is the whole world, it pertains to everybody.

Roberts chronicles the history of extinctions and near extinctions of fish, reptile and marine animals from medieval times to the present, with much discussion of the methods and economies that devastated one region after another. He provides fairly in-depth studies of particular industries such as cod, herring, whales and salmon. He documents decreases in both sizes of individuals and sizes of overall catches, as well as occasional, all-too-brief recoveries, such as in the years immediately after the World Wars.

Using the concept of “shifting baseline” where each generation looks no further than the conditions of its youth to see normal states, he shows how the degradation has been allowed to continue while commissions came and went. Fishermen knew in the 1400s that trawling (dragging nets along the bottom) destroyed entire ecosystems, but complaints to the kings of the day drew no action; now, the seafloor of most of the world has been smashed and plowed to mud and broken remains.

The time for action is very late; it may be too late to resurrect this once vast food supply. I bought a piece of fish (farm-raised) to cook for my parents tonight. If I ever become a vegetarian, it will be because of obtaining more information than I can be comfortable with. Pretty grim reading, but well worth your time.

Starr Reviews are done by current Northwest student Mary Evelyn Starr. Please stop by for more during the semester.

How to Get a Date Worth Keeping

2008-09-02T15:08:00.006-05:00

Take your time to discover who you are. Do not limit yourself to a type of man or woman. Get healthy yourself first in order to attract someone worth keeping. Be yourself from the beginning, and set boundaries. Do not SETTLE.

Single men and women, please pay attention! Dating is not about marriage. It is a process of getting to yourself and others without any romantic involvment. Romantic involvement clouds the process of getting to know the real person. In fact, this is one of the reasons that we are constantly dating but not finding a real KEEPER.

As a divorcee, it is a challenge to get back into the dating scene after a broken heart. Not to mention, that the rules of dating has changed alot.This book, How to Get a Date Worth Keeping, was written by Dr. Henry Cloud, a Christian, after he heard some single, attractive, and successful women talking about having a lack of dates. He discovered that most of these women went the same places every day which turned into the same places for a whole YEAR. How can you meet someone under these circumstances? In this book, he challenges YOU to go on many dates and suggest that you (THE WOMEN) initate the conversations. After reading this book, I discovered that we have unrealistic expectations of others which are needs that we should meet for ourselves. To end, for some of us, it is our preferences that are preventing us from finding a date worth keeping.

New Fiction for Aug/Sept

2008-08-27T14:34:00.011-05:00

The Beach House by Jane Green
F G796B c.1
The inside cover reads, "So Nan takes out an ad: Rooms to rent for the summer in a beautiful old Nantucket home with water views and direct access to the beach. Slowly, people start moving into the house, filling it with noise, with laughter, and with tears. As the house comes alive again, Nan finds her family expanding. Her son comes home for the summer, and then an unexpected visitor turns all their lives upside-down."

The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
F B959TR c.1
Publisher's Weekly gave this synopsis, "In Burke's meticulously textured 16th Dave Robicheaux novel, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath provide the backdrop for an account of sin and redemption in New Orleans. When Detective Robicheaux's department is assigned to investigate the shooting of two looters in a wealthy neighborhood, he learns that they had ransacked the home of New Orleans's most powerful mobster. Now he must locate the surviving looter before others do, and in the process he learns the fate of a priest who disappeared in the ill-fated Ninth Ward trying to rescue his trapped parishioners."

Check out these new books!
Pelican Road by Howard Bahr
Black Out by Lisa Unger
Still Life w/ Husband by Lauren Fox
The James Boys by Richard Liebmann-Smith
Clubbed to Death by Elaine Viets
Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

Welcome Back!

2008-08-26T06:18:00.004-05:00

Welcome back to all staff, faculty, and students!

We at the library welcome another semester of opportunities to serve you!

Let's make this the year we all soar to new heights!

Four More Days 2 Go!

2008-08-11T23:33:00.006-05:00

Awraight people!

Time to get busy and give away some pecans and a southern book!

The last time my hubby drew names for the pecans was July 11, so I'm way behind. Shame! I need to draw four names, and I thought I would go ahead and draw for this coming Friday's too.

#13 Beth at Time Within a Time...
# 20 Raymond at Raymondo's Reading Room
#8 Rhonda at Rhonda Writes 2
#16 JoEllen at JoEllen's Stage
#9 Janet at Cannot Get Going

Congratulations Y'all!

My Book Trailer!

2008-07-15T17:39:00.001-05:00

Friday Night Winners!

2008-07-11T22:36:00.010-05:00

2 Fridays ago, I was sick.

Last Friday, I was lazy.

This Friday I have no excuse! Here are the 3 new pecan winners!

Amanda of Amanda the Baby Blogger, Julie of NWCC Correro, and Angie of What is Angie Thinking? have won the weekly pecans!

Please, visit and congratulate them.

What's a Blog Anyway?

2008-06-12T14:05:00.002-05:00

Have you ever seen a Book Trailer?

2008-06-11T12:23:00.002-05:00

What makes Us Southern?

2008-05-13T11:51:00.008-05:00

This is the official (Wikipedia) map of the Southern states!

Those in red are the South! Those in candy-cane stripe are semi-South. Do you agree?

This was my definition as a child growing up in Tennessee. The South was any state south of the Mason-Dixon line, and east of the Mississippi River.

Others define the South as any state that took part in the War Between the States as Confederates. I have always thought Kentucky a part of the South, but I've heard rumblings from some of you. I nevah considered Texas a part of the South, and I bet many of you agree. This is crazy, but the Modern South also includes Oklahoma!

This is why I don't think Mark Twain's all that Southern and rather more Midwestern. He was born in Missouri, grew up in Missouri, and spent his fame in Connecticut. Hey, but he is the Father of Southern Literature?!? What about all that time spent paddle-wheeling up-n-down the Mississippi River?!? I give him the Southern title as an honorarium.

What do you think? Leave a comment...

Southern Movie Meme

2008-05-10T17:02:00.011-05:00

Here's a fun meme I stole from Lynne's Little Corner of the World.

The Rules!

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies. (I picked 10 of my favorite Southern movies.) 2. Go to IMDb (Internet Movie Database) and find a quote from each movie. 3. Post them here for everyone to guess (if you know them all, please don't guess every one).
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. 5. No Googling or IMDb-ing. (That would be cheating, and no fun!)

Remember, all these movies are set in the South and answer only ONE!

1. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
Gone with the Wind Raymond starts us off and no #6 is NOT A Few Good Men! ;D

2. They call me MISTER Tibbs!
In the Heat of the Night Great job, Crystal!

3. Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. Forrest Gump What are you having for dinner tonight, Raymond?

4. Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness, and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives.
To Kill a Mockingbird Yay, Amanda!

5. Careful Maggie, your claws are showing. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Awright, Dawn!

6. He's got a real pretty mouth on him, don't he? Deliverance The last one, Susie!

7. Looks like two pigs fightin' under a blanket.
Steel Magnolias W2G, Beach Bound Babe!

8. Secret's in the sauce. Fried Green Tomatoes Thanks Susie!

9. Coffee makes me nervous when I drink it. Mmm.
Sling Blade. Way to go JoEllen through Sam Weakley!

10. Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Driving Miss Daisy. Great job JoEllen!

Note: The photo above is King Vidor (1894-1982) who was a successful movie director of silent and talkies. In 1935 he directed a black and white southern movie titled So Red the Rose. The movie was based on a book (1934) with the same name by Como MS, native, Stark Young. They both achieved great success until another book (1936) and movie (1939) titled Gone with the Wind achieved even more.

What R We Playin' 4?

2008-05-03T09:52:00.004-05:00

Each Friday I will draw from the sign-up Mister Linky,

and one lucky winner will have a tin of pecan tasties

sent to your lovely southern home!

Try not to drool on the keyboard, please!

Sign Up Begins!

2008-04-30T21:01:00.010-05:00

Welcome!

Southern Reading Challengers!

This little sign-up widget is called Mister Linky.

Starr Reviews - The Discovery of France

2008-04-14T10:53:00.005-05:00

My "French" cousin visited us for Easter; I always enjoy questioning him and hearing his stories about traveling the world, so when I saw this new book, The Discovery of France: a historical geography from the Revolution to the First World War (944 R631D) by Graham Robb, at the library I had to grab it.

It is a fascinating read about how they mapped France, settled political and military officers, and schoolteachers where they often had not even had a priest before, built roads and railways, and then enforced a uniform language on top of hundreds possibly thousands or so regional languages.

The degree of poverty, ignorance and isolation of most of the territory in the 1700s and even 1800s is amazing, as is the former variety of lives and livelihoods, as reflected in today’s’ land of a thousand kinds of cheese.

France, rather than thousands of largely independent--5 or 10 mile square village, republics--was the creation of the very small Paris-based elite.

I enjoyed the description of village life and have started on the heroic age of cartography, when they made the first platinum meter-stick. (They were within .02 mm in it being 1,000,000th of the distance equator to pole.) I doubt I’ll ever be that good a surveyor, and the old boys in the 1700s were climbing steeples and goatpaths with dime telescopes, risking assault and murder for witchcraft or spying. British and even American travelers in France were astounded at the condition of roads and paths, and at the isolated village cultures, well into the 1800s.

Starr Reviews are done by current Northwest student Mary Evelyn Starr. Please stop by for more during the semester.

The Three Doctors

2008-02-26T09:24:00.013-06:00

Looking for something inspiring to read?

Check out The Three Doctors...George, Sampson and Rameck are three extraordinary men who made an agreement when they were teenagers to become doctors. Read about how they resisted the temptation of streets to become inspirations to thousands.

The Pact tells the story of growing up surronded by drugs and violence and how they met each other. It tells about the pact that was made and how they peservered to become doctors...

We Beat the Street is the same story but written for young adults.

The Bond continues their story, but is told from the perspective of growing up without their father's presence in their lives. It is a story of forgiveness and growing. It also shows what mentoring can do to change lives.

Arbor Day Feb 15, 2008

2008-02-22T13:43:00.003-06:00

This is our "giving tree" in the same vein

as Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree.

Be sure to plant your own tree before the end of the month.

The List!

BIOGRAPHY

A Boy Named Shel:

Life & Times of Shel Silverstein

by Lisa Rogak
818.5409 S587R

BOOKS
by Shel Silverstein

A Light in the Attic
J 811.54 S587L

Falling Up

J 811.54 S587F

Where the Sidewalk Ends
J 811.54 S587W

The Giving Tree
JF S588G

VIDEOS

The Giving Tree
VT 791.433 H425G

Monday Morning Funny!

2008-02-11T09:19:00.000-06:00

Our Man in Havana

2008-02-08T11:56:00.000-06:00

NWCC Reading Club 2008

Meets Wednesday @ 3PM

Humanities Conference Room in the Basement

We will be discussing Our Man in Havana.

Come Join Us!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-07T06:10:00.001-06:00

Hybrid Seed Alert!

2008-01-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

Remember to check the label!

Hybrid seeds such as corn are being repackaged and sold as another hybrid through another company. It is perfectly legal according to the Federal Seed Act.

See more information in Successful Farming's February 2008 article, "Kissin' Corn Cousins?"

The library carries this magazine and also The Progressive Farmer for our Technical Majors: Agricultural Business and Management Technology/Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Technology

New Student Book Club!

2008-01-19T11:38:00.000-06:00

Mr. Dawkins will be leading Northwest's first ever student book club! This is a quote from his e-mail:

Below you will find our tentative reading list. All of the books are definitely available from amazon.com and are likely available at most local libraries and bookstores. Let's start with some British literature from the 50s and read Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana. He happens to be a personal favorite author of mine, and this is about the only novel of his that I haven't gotten to. So, on the 30th we'll gather in the new basement conference room in the Lafayette Humanities Building to meet one another for the first time and to discuss that novel.

I look forward to sharing some fun spring reading with all of you. Meantime, let me know of any questions that may arise, and enjoy Mr. Greene!

February 13, 2008
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
(1958) F G799O

February 27, 2008
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
(1954) 823.914 A517L

March 5, 2008
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
(1955) F N117L

March 26, 2008
Big Bad Love by Larry Brown
(1990) SC B8785B

April 9, 2008
Bats Out of Hell by Barry Hannah
(1993) SC H195BA

April 23, 2008
The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
(1999) F E665A

May 7, 2008
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
(1992) F M1235A

Summer Break!
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
(2005)

Read All About It!

2008-01-15T12:01:00.000-06:00

Northwest Librarians are Published!

Check it Out!

Just click the journal to the right and turn to page 86 (page 5 in the PDF format) to learn all about Reading Round Table! We have already enjoyed some comments and would love to hear from you.

Presents of Mind!

2007-12-06T15:05:00.000-06:00

Come, stop by the library, and get your Christmas break reading!

And the Winner Is...

2007-11-30T10:44:00.000-06:00

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a contest for their readers in November of this year asking for the World’s Worst Book Title ever. The Winner, hands down, is a Disney book titled Cooking with Pooh.

Other contenders included The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification and Everything You’ll Need to Remember About Alzheimer’s.

Have a nice weekend...

100 Notable Books of 2007

2007-11-26T13:56:00.000-06:00

A little early I think, but The New York Times has released their pick of the 100 best books of 2007. This Wednesday they will announce-in their opinion-the 10 best books of 2007. We promise to keep you posted...

Oh, here is last year's top ten, if you missed it!

Daddy, how do you spell Melo?

2007-11-16T11:23:00.000-06:00

Our students are getting younger and younger!

Have you Read It?

2007-11-15T11:50:00.000-06:00

Oprah's New Book Club Pick!

Pillars of the Earth

F F667P

2007 National Book Award Winners

2007-11-15T11:02:00.000-06:00

Fiction

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

Nonfiction

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA

by Tim Weiner

Poetry

Time and Materials by Robert Hass

Young People’s Literature

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

Go Figure?!?

2007-11-13T08:43:00.000-06:00

Norman Mailer (1923 - 2007)

2007-11-11T19:55:00.001-06:00

Illustration by Alan Dingman

The Library Owns:

The Executioner's Song F M281E

Conversations with Norman Mailer 813.54 M219ZLE

Ancient Evenings F M219AN

The Naked and the Dead F M281N

Miami and the Siege of Chicago 329.3 M219M

The Armies of the Night 323 M219A

The Deer Park 812.54 M219D

An American Dream F M219A

Tough Guys Don't Dance F M219T

Marilyn 791.430280924 M753MA

Scariest Characters in Literature

2007-10-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

AbeBooks polled a worldwide audience and found the top ten scariest characters in literature.

1. Big Brother from 1984 by George Orwell
2. Hannibal Lecter from the novels by Thomas Harris
3. Pennywise the clown from It by Stephen King
4. Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
5. Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s novel
6. Annie Wilkes from Misery by Stephen King
7. The demon from The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
8. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
9. Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
10. Voldemort from the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling

What do you think? Did they omit one of your favorite bad guys?

New Book: High Cotton

2007-10-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

High Cotton:
Four Seasons in the Mississippi Delta
by Gerard Helferich
976.24 H474H (2007)

Author Helferich spends a year in the cotton fields on Zack Killebrew's Tchula, MS farm during the tumultuous 2005 season. Beginning in the spring, one learns the unique attributes of the Mississippi River Delta land. A land so rich in nutrients from silt deposits it grows the best grade cotton in the world.

Helferich’s style engages readers with chapters displaying a formula akin to flashbacks. We start in Killebrew’s truck discussing the green, boll weevil traps then jump to a history lesson on the potent pesticide DDT. Before the chapter ends, the reader finds himself back in the truck and heading for home.

Don’t let the history lessons fool you this is a story of modern day cotton farming. Our Agricultural students will profit the most from readings, but also students of History and Business will find it beneficial.

Note to Ag Instructors: This book would be an excellent supplement in the classroom. Broken down into ten chapters, an instructor might assign weekly readings. For instance, one could read a chapter over the weekend and be prepared to discuss it come Monday morning. An affordable paperback edition will be available for the fall 2008 semester.

New Book: Lynchings in Mississippi

2007-10-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

Lynchings in Mississippi:
A History, 1865-1965
by Julius E. Thompson
364.134 T473L (2007)

In Julius E. Thompson’s new book, one reads of the horrors blacks in Mississippi suffered under white oppression. This book is more than a lynching of the body, but a full force demonstration of the economic, political, and social lynching carried out prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

Written in chronological order, beginning with the “Emancipation Era” and ending with the Civil Rights struggle, Thompson also includes 1966 through 2002 in his seventeen-page “Epilogue.”

This is an extensive academic text full of statistics and quotes; although, too numerical in the first five chapters, a student can easily navigate the index for quick, reference work. Unfortunately, a reader will crave more narrative in the first chapters to gather a sense of the terror and inhumane treatment suffered. Beginning in chapter six, Thompson provides case studies which students will find interesting.

Go Rangers!

2007-10-18T11:14:00.000-05:00