Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Warning- this post may contain spoilers.
Mr. Wuffles! is a Caldecott Honor winning children’s book by
David Wiesner. On the cover, it looks as if it is going to be about a cat. This
is true, in a sense. Mr. Wuffles is a cat who has little interest in his toys,
at least until a tiny alien UFO lands among them. Fascinated by them, Mr.
Wuffles follows them. The rest of the book is shown through the alien’s
perspective as they try to escape the curious cat. I say “shown,” as the entire
story is told without the use of words. The aliens have speech bubbles, but the
language within them is gibberish, allowing the reader to imagine for himself
what is being said. As a small child, I liked to make up what the characters
were saying in books as I could not read it for myself. This book presents the
perfect opportunity to do just that. As a whole, the book provides an
explanation for cats’ seemingly inexplicable obsession with whatever is under
the furniture, and also entertains cat lovers like me with a near perfect
representation of a cat’s behavior and posture.
To see this book, and other Caldecott Honor books, browse the back wall of Juvenile awards in the Juvenile/Curriculum section of the library (Mezzanine level all the way in the back).
~Ryan Eshelman
Guy Montag is a fireman, not a firefighter whose job is to burn books. A task which he has found satisfying until a seventeen-year-old girl named Clarisse McClellan pops into his life, and starts asking him questions and pointing out things that he had never thought about before. This is where Montag’s journey really starts as he discovers the wonder of books for himself.
I really enjoyed this book and think it may be one of my new favorite in the category from dystopian literature. I would recommend it to people who read and enjoyed The Hunger Games series and were looking for something else with a world gone wrong and a desire for change. Also for those who liked 1984, there are some similarities. I would say even if you hated 1984 and wished it could have been a bit different I would recommend this book because I personally was not a fan of 1984, and the thought of going into another dystopian intimidated me a bit, but Ray Bradbury had me from the first page of the story all the way through.
I would also encourage you to read his two introductions. I started to read and fell in love with the author immediately because I connected with his love of books and how he came across his ideas. Even if that is not something you enjoy, seeing his thought process is rather interesting.
I will leave you with a quote from his character Farber in the book. “The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Happy reading!
Elisabeth Smith
So, it’s threatening to become a common situation: a major
snow storm has you stuck on campus on a snow day - without electricity, without
WiFi … without NETFLIX. What are you supposed to spend your day doing now?!
Believe it or not, there was a time when people curled up with a good book when
the weather
kept them indoors (shocking, I know). While you may think the
library is made up entirely of the BIB REF section, there are a lot of
resources here that will help you replicate that TV watching experience as best
as possible. With a little imagination you’ll forget you’re not watching the
real deal. Here’s some suggestions for stocking up before the next storm:
If you watch NEW GIRL: Jess Day is probably the best
teacher, ever. Submerse yourself in the kind of whimsicality that she would
enjoy by visiting the children’s section on the library mezzanine floor. For
the best picture books, try Caldecott award winners, which have their own
section. For a heavier read, try Harry Potter (how have you all gone without
them for so long?!)
If you watch THE OFFICE: Remember when Michael Scott started
his own paper company? Oh, what fun… Some of the library’s books on
entrepreneurship and marketing are really entertaining (okay, they lean more
towards educational, but can’t earning money be fun, too?)
If you watch PARKS AND REC, or situation comedy/parody: The
library has a great little section of parody fiction, humorous quotes, and joke
books. Try browsing call numbers PN 1647 - PN 6261.
If you watch ANIME: Right under that comedy section are a
few books on comics and manga art.
If you watch GOSSIP GIRL, UGLY BETTY, or CARRIE
DIARIES: If New York socialites are your
thing, try “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton or “The Great Gatsby” by F.
Scott Fitzgerald. Bonus - “The Great
Gatsby” is really, really short.
If you watch SUPERHEROES: Try “God on the Streets of Gotham”
by Paul Asay, or any of the books based on movies in that section.
If you watch THE MINDY PROJECT: One of Mindy’s trademarks is
her love of pop culture, but remember Mindy’s pastor fiancé, Casey? Explore how
pop culture meets the church in books such as “Pop Culture Wars” by William D. Romanowski,
or “Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns” by T. David Gordon. Or… you could always mosey
over to the BIB REF section? Hey, I guess it’s not that
bad after all.
~Christine Fitzpatrick
Book Review: The Very Private Matter of Anorexia Nervosa
0 comments Posted by The Masland Library Blog at 10:32 AM
I was shelving books a couple months ago at the library like
I usually do when I stumbled across an interesting book. Its title read The Very Private Matter of Anorexia Nervosa.
This piqued my interest because all throughout high school my best friend was
very skinny and had often been accused of being anorexic. I decided to educate
myself on this eating disorder so I checked out the book and I headed back to
my dorm room. Once I started reading, I could not stop. It was the author’s own
personal story of her struggle with anorexia. In this book the author, Shanon
Christian, described every emotion, every thought she had over a 3 year period
of her life. It all started innocently when she wanted to lose a little bit of
weight but it rapidly became an obsession of counting every calorie and
exercising to the point of fainting. Shanon became lost in this cycle and
started to lose control. Her hair started falling out, she experienced anxiety
and depression, and she had no energy to do anything-except continue to count
calories and skip meals. Family and friends tried to help her understand that
she was destroying her body but Shanon would not listen. It had become an
obsession. As she struggled to get her life back under control she finally hit
rock bottom. Shanon cried out to God to heal her and slowly but surely Shanon
started to become better. It took quite a while but in time with the help of
God, she learned to overcome her anorexia.
If you or someone you
know on campus is struggling with anorexia and is trying to find a way out,
there are many places that you can check out, one of them being on our own
campus. The Oasis Counseling Center can provide you with private Christian help
for no cost at all. You can also visit the nurse to receive information about
anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders or check out the website http://www.anad.org/ which is the National
Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders.
~Jenny Dunning
For those of you stuck on campus over the weekends and
looking for something to do, you might consider going to the library to check
out a movie. It’s free, on campus, and you might be surprised by the
selection. We have a wide variety of
movies varying from documentaries to musicals, from westerns to sci-fi /fantasy,
and many more! There is no need to be bored on campus, the Masland Library can
provide for your entertainment as well as for your studying needs. Just this
past weekend, I had checked out the movie Stranger
than Fiction, which is one that I had never had the opportunity of viewing
before, and I really enjoyed it. The story follows Harold Crick, an IRS agent,
who suddenly begins to hear his life being narrated by an unknown female voice. Unfortunately she is predicting his death.
Some other movies that are available to be checked out are The
Matrix, Planet of the Apes, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, and The Passion. If you would like to know what else is in our inventory, you can look on our online catalog via this link:http://encore.pbu.edu/iii/encore/search?lang=eng&target=feature+films
~Jacqlene Adams
Wow! Where has the semester gone?! It feels like just
yesterday that I moved in and got ready for my first semester. Time seems to fly by pretty fast the older we get and as such we lose time to do the things we enjoy doing. I know
that for me I have found less time to do the one thing I like the most-
reading. I have always loved to sit down on a rainy day and delve into the
world of my current favorite author. I
could lose myself for hours in C.S. Lewis’ mythical lands and Jane Austen’s
romances. But now all my time is taken up with homework, studying, and hanging
out with friends. Don’t get me wrong I like being able to do productive things
but reading gives you chance to step out of your world and into someone else’s.
Reading provides an opportunity for you to expand your worldview and at the
same time, enjoy the expansion.
When I
first started working here at the library, I was amazed at all the books I saw.
I was in heaven! (Or something relatively close.) And when I found out that the
Juvenile section had books I had loved reading when I was homeschooled, I had a
hard time containing my excitement. One particular afternoon I remember
shelving some books in the Juvenile section and I came across a book that my
mom had read to my siblings and me when we were kids. I remember this book all
too well because it was a mind game book that I didn’t understand as a child.
So I decided to re-read the book and see if I could figure it out. The book, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, is a
story about a rich business owner who is found dead in his estate. In his will
he invites a seemingly random collection of people to a game of whodunit. The
prize is his mass fortune. Each person is paired up with another “heir” and the
couple is given a set of clues that is supposed to help them figure out who
murdered the rich man. This book is filled with laughable drama and dialogue,
mind bending twists and turns, and even a few explosions! I invite all of you
to join in the madness to figure out who murdered Mr. Westing and why over
Christmas break. It is a short and enjoyable read that allows you to
expand your mind without hurting it too much! It can be found in the Juvenile section under PZ7.R375 Wes 1997.
Have a great break and Merry
Christmas!
~Jenny Dunning~
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